Soccer Team at Chatsworth Finds New Life

From chaos has come order for the Chatsworth High boys’ soccer team.

In October, Paul Safavian, a first-year walk-on coach, angered and mystified many players and parents by cutting from the team most of the school’s top players for no apparent reason.

After parents complained to the school administration, Safavian was fired.

John McLean, a teacher and track coach at the high school, took over the Chancellors in October. Desmond Willows, a player for the Simi Valley-based L.A. Siege semipro team, soon joined the team as a co-coach and the two have transformed a program in disarray into a unified, playoff-bound squad.

“Since Desmond and Coach McLean came, they’ve given us better spirit,” midfielder Mike Preis said. “The team has really changed from the beginning of the year, both in playing better and in attitude.”

There was nowhere to go but up. Preis, who has eight goals and 15 assists, was one of seven current starters who was cut by Safavian.

“It was really ridiculous,” Preis said. “I was even thinking of transferring schools. (Safavian) just didn’t like us, I guess. It seemed to me that he didn’t like the players who knew what they were doing. He didn’t know much about the game.”

Also cut by Safavian were midfielder Trevor Schmidt (the team’s leading scorer with 11 goals) and Jorge Burey, whom McLean said is talented enough to earn All-City honors.

“That’s when the stink hit the fan,” McLean said. “It just didn’t wash with anyone, the parents or the athletic department.”

Preis’ father, Barry, was one of several parents who complained to Chatsworth administrators. Soon Safavian was gone and McLean was hired, taking over a team that was dispirited and out of shape, and had won only two matches the previous year.

“They were in absolute chaos,” he said.

McLean started from scratch, holding another open tryout and welcoming back those talented players onto his roster.

“Most of the kids (Safavian) had playing as first string, I had to either cut or kept as substitutes,” McLean said.

Equally important is the arrival of Willows. McLean’s expertise is in track, not soccer, and he needed help. Through a player on the team whose father owned the Siege, McLean was put in touch with Willows.

“A couple of days later he was on my doorstep,” McLean said. “He was God-sent.”

The rebuilding process had begun. McLean was an expert in conditioning the players. Willows added his knowledge of the technical aspects of the sport, and the mix proved fruitful.

McLean and Willows have guided the Chancellors to a 9-4-1 record, a second-place finish in the strong West Valley League and a playoff berth. Their 3-0 victory Wednesday at Granada Hills--tied for first place in the league at the time--was a measure of how far Chatsworth has come in a short time.

“It’s been a pleasure,” McLean said. “Everybody’s had fun and worked hard. Desmond has brought in a high, high caliber of technical skill, and made what would have been a so-so team into a team that on any given day can be unbeatable.”

Said Willows: “I’m not getting much money whatsoever, but it’s good to do this for the team.”

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Quake Damage: McLean, who lost his home in the earthquake, also lost four players because of the shake.

Burey’s family home was destroyed and he has moved back to Argentina.

Three other players--Eli Chavarria, Leonardo Sanchez and Jorge Hernandez--were bused to Chatsworth from South Central Los Angeles. Because of the quake, McLean said the players’ parents no longer want them attending school in the Valley.

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A little salt for that whistle?: At the end of overtime in Friday’s North Hollywood-Grant basketball game, Lancer forward Don Patterson attempted a short jump shot that would have tied the score at the buzzer.

The shot was blocked by North Hollywood’s Damon Ollie, but the Huskies thought Patterson was fouled on the play.

Observers at the game heard one of the referees blow his whistle to signal a foul, but the buzzer sounded at the same moment, North Hollywood players began celebrating their 65-63 victory and the official simply walked off the court.

“I feel like we were robbed,” Patterson said. “It was pretty obvious (that it was a foul) and the refs knew it, too. I guess the refs were tired and they were ready to go home.”

Said North Hollywood Coach Steve Miller: “It was a clean block. I think they’re stretching it a bit.”

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Let the games begin: The Village Christian girls’ basketball team went 8-0 in Alpha League play for the second consecutive season, but Coach John Domke was not breaking out the champagne and party hats.

“Our league is just really bad,” he said. “The closest anyone came to us, I think, was 30 points.”

This was no surprise to Domke, in his fifth year as coach.

“I purposely beefed up our preseason schedule because I knew the league was going to be real soft,” he said.

His players, however, are anything but soft. Led by starters Lindy James, Trisha Palmquist, Jeanne Beauchamp and Christy Ludwig, the Crusaders defeated several quality opponents--including Crescenta Valley, Burroughs and Quartz Hill--in nonleague play in December.

Domke said the Crusaders (22-1) will likely enter the Division IV-A playoffs as the second-seeded team. Last season, the Crusaders advanced to the semifinals before losing to Bell-Jeff.

“Our goal is to get to the finals,” he said.

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Pass the Advil: The coaches and players at Oxnard and Chaminade must feel like they were run over. Their girls’ basketball teams had a long night Thursday.

Buena 98, Oxnard 9.

Alemany 80, Chaminade 11.

Maybe they can take solace in Alemany being ranked fifth in the state and Buena 10th. Probably they just took some aspirin.

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His left foot: Trenton Cross, Reseda’s leading scorer at 18.5 points per game, severely sprained his left foot in the first quarter of Friday night’s victory over San Fernando and could miss the playoffs.

Cross’ absence would damage the City Section 3-A title hopes of the Regents (16-1), ranked fifth in the area by The Times.

Doctors told Cross that he will be unable to play for at least a week and perhaps as long as a month, but Cross has some hope.

“Last night I couldn’t even walk on it, but it feels a lot better than it did last night,” he said Saturday. “I think it will only take a week.”

Reseda Coach Jeff Halpern can only hope.

“This was a big blow to us,” Halpern said. “Our goal is to get to the Sports Arena (site of the championship). If Cross is out, it would mean we’d have an All-City point guard unable to play.”