High school musical? No, high school hockey!

Craig Johnson, who played for both the Ducks and the Kings during a 10-season NHL career and was part of the trade that sent Wayne Gretzky from the Kings to St. Louis, was appointed head coach of the hockey team at Santa Margarita Catholic High. The school is a member of the Anaheim Ducks High School Hockey League, an initiative by the Ducks to get more kids involved with the sport.

The school will begin play in the 2009-10 season. It will be the coaching debut for Johnson, whose career was distinguished by his remarkable speed and equally remarkable inability to finish off scoring chances.

Santa Margarita will join JSerra Catholic High in the Ducks High School Hockey League, which launched in September, 2008. Several more schools are expected to join the league next season.

The expense of the sport has always been a big factor working against establishing high school hockey programs. Most kids from Southern California who have found their way to the NHL have had to leave home to polish their skills, going to prep schools like Shattuck St. Mary's, the Canadian junior leagues, or colleges such as Denver University or Colorado College.

The number of kids from this area making it to the elite level is surprising: Ducks defenseman Brian Salcido of Hermosa Beach on Friday was the 23rd California-born player to play in the NHL--16 of them after the 1988 trade that brought Gretzky to Los Angeles from Edmonton.

A strong high school league can provide more options for talented local kids and prepare them for college hockey, if they choose that route. The Ducks are making a big investment in this program, and the rewards will be widespread.

--Helene Elliott

A high school basketball game proves sports can embrace good, not greed

ESPN's "Mike and Mike" show can be credited for bringing attention to a column in the Milwaukee Journal by Art Kabelowsky that is worth reading, even if you aren't a sports fan.

It is the story of Milwaukee Madison High School and DeKalb (Ill.) High School, and what happened in their game can now serve as the brightest symbol of sportsmanship.

It centers on Milwaukee Madison senior Johntell Franklin, who lost his mother, Carlitha, to cervical cancer late in the afternoon on Feb. 7. That night Franklin's team was set to play DeKalb, and the grieving 18-year-old senior told his coach not to call off the game.

As it was, his coach, Aaron Womack Jr., arrived late to the Madison gym -- having come straight from the hospital. He hadn't expected DeKalb's coach and players to understand, but they did. Womack also hadn't expected Franklin to play that night. But he did. In the second quarter, Franklin came walking in, suited up.

But Franklin's name was not in the score book because Womack hadn't expected him to be there. And rules dictated that Womack would have to be assessed a technical (worth two free throws) if he played Franklin. It wouldn't have mattered to Womack because he knew Franklin needed to play -- for his mom. It was part of the young man's grieving process.

DeKalb Coach Dave Rohlman said he and his players knew of Franklin's situation.

"We were sympathetic to the circumstances and the events," Rohlman said. "We even told Coach Womack that it'd be OK to call off the game, but he said we had driven 2 1/2 hours to get here and the kids wanted to play. So we said, 'Spend some time with your team and come out when you're ready.' "

Rohlman told the referees he did not want the call.

Well, referees go by the rules. So what happened when it came time to shoot the two free throws?

The first ball was rolled slowly across the end line, counting as a missed free throw. Rohlman and his players knew the rules too, you see. They knew what would count and what wouldn't, what would be the more shining symbol of sharing a boy's grief.

The second free throw? Another roll.

Both free throws were courtesy of DeKalb senior Darius McNeal, who had volunteered to be the one to miss.

"I did it for the guy who lost his mom," McNeal said. "It was the right thing to do."

Now, if you are one of those who says sports are frivolous or meaningless, or are tired of the A-Rods of the world, print this out and tape it somewhere where you can see it every day. Dare yourself to believe that sports is not all cheating and greed. Sports can elicit generosity, unity of spirit, compassion. Sports can be faith, hope and, yes, love.

-- Debbie Goffa

Renardo Sidney to announce college decision

On Sunday, a very big kid will make a very big announcement.

Fairfax High center Renardo Sidney is widely considered one of the 10 best high school prospects in the nation. He first started to generate attention as an eighth-grader while living in Mississippi. As a 6-11 senior, Sidney has led Fairfax to a No. 2 seeding in the City Section Division I playoffs.

USC was on Sidney's short list, and Trojans coach Tim Floyd was spotted at the Fairfax-Westchester game a month ago. But, as of today, it looks like USC is out of contention.

UCLA is still a top choice -- assuming he can make the grades. Sidney hasn't taken the SAT. Even if he announces for the Bruins, he'll still have to pass the test.

Arizona State and Virginia also are possible destinations. Some online scouting services list Texas, Nevada Las Vegas and Mississippi State as long shots.

Sunday's announcement is scheduled for 4 p.m. at Fairfax High.

-- Adam Rose

Photo: Fairfax's Renardo Sidney dunks against Westchester last month. Credit: Richard Hartog / Los Angeles Times.

USA Basketball names prep squad for Nike Hoop Summit

USA Basketball has set the roster for the 12th annual Nike Hoop Summit that tips off April 11 in Portland's Rose Garden. The game will pit nine of the country's top high school players against a World Select Team made up of top international players who are 19 or younger.

The squad named Tuesday includes nine of the nation’s 25 highest-ranked prep players. It also includes three returning athletes -- DeMarcus Cousins (Mobile, Ala., LeFlore High), Leslie McDonald (Memphis Briarcrest High) and Mason Plumlee (Christ School in Arden, N.C.).

The 10-man roster is filled out by Avery Bradley (Findlay Prep in Henderson, Nev.); Derrick Favors (South Atlanta High); Abdul Gaddy (Bellarmine Prep in Tacoma, Wash.); Xavier Henry (Oklahoma City Putnam City High); John Henson (Tampa, Fla., Sickles High); Mike Moser (Portland, Ore., Grant High); and John Wall (Word of God Academy in Raleigh, N.C.).

The head coach will be John Olive (San Diego Torrey Pines High). Olive was an assistant coach in 2008 when the U.S. team beat the international squad, 98-79. Antwan Harris (Minneapolis Washburn High) will serve as assistant coach.

The World Select Team roster will be announced next month. It will draw 11 players from FIBA’s five geographic zones: Africa, Americas, Asia, Europe and Oceania.

-- Greg Johnson

Pete Carroll gets another chance to be 'The Closer'

It's the final week for high school football recruiting before next Wednesday's signing day, and this is the week USC Coach Pete Carroll usually earns his big bucks while serving as the male version of Kyra Sedgwick from TNT's "The Closer."

In other words, Carroll is great at closing the deal on top prospects who haven't made their decision, and this weekend, USC is hosting perhaps the No. 1 linebacker prospect in the nation in Manti Te'o from Honolulu Punahou.

It's a huge advantage that USC gets Te'o's last recruiting visit, and it would be stunning if Carroll doesn't do what he does best -- convince Te'o that USC is the place for him. Te'o is also considering UCLA and Notre Dame.

-- Eric Sondheimer

Photo: Manti Te'o of Honolulu, right, is one of the top prospects in the nation. Here he runs for a touchdown in a game last November. Credit: Jonathan Bello / Honolulu Advertiser

Times' Eric Sondheimer wins broadcasting award

In a post yesterday, The Times' Eric Sondheimer wrote about the awards handed out by the Southern California Sports Broadcasters.

That included awards for Lee "Hacksaw" Hamilton and Rory Markus.

What Sondheimer hadn't mentioned is that he too won an award from the group -- the Prep Sports Award. Ben Bolch, who attended the awards luncheon, blogs about it on Varsity Times Insider.

-- Debbie Goffa

High school football stars on display

On Sunday, ESPN will televise the Under Armour High School All-America High School football game from the Florida Citrus Bowl in Orlando at 5 p.m. PT.

USC and UCLA fans will be able to see several players who have committed to their teams.

For the Trojans, playing on the White team: Santa Ana Mater Dei quarterback Matt Barkley; Calhoun (S.C.) County wide receiver Alshon Jeffrey; and Agoura High offensive lineman Kevin Graf.

For the Bruins, also playing on the White team: Rancho Cucamonga Los Osos quarterback Richard Brehaut; Carson High receiver Morrell Presley; and Kapolei, Hawaii, offensive lineman Stan Hasiak.

According to the ESPN recruiting information, several players from both the White team and the Black team are still considering USC and/or UCLA: Salt Lake City Cottonwood offensive lineman John Martinez has USC and UCLA as well as Louisiana State, Ohio State and Oklahoma on his list; Pleasant Grove (Utah) Timpview offensive lineman Xavier Su'a Filo lists USC and UCLA plus Notre Dame, Brigham Young and Louisiana State; Scottsdale (Arizona) Saguaro defensive lineman Corey Adams has USC, Arizona State, Nebraska and Ohio State; Honolulu Punahou linebacker Manti Te'o has UCLA, USC and Notre Dame, Stanford and Brigham Young; Sanford (Fla.) Seminole wide receiver Andre Debose names Florida, Louisiana State, Miami, Georgia and USC; Wheaton (Md.) Good Counsel linebacker Jelani Jenkins has USC plus Penn State, Notre Dame, Miami and Stanford; Miami Gulliver Prep linebacker Frankie Telfort is down to USC and Florida; Sanford (Fla.) Seminole defensive back Ray Ray Armstrong is considering USC, Florida State, Florida, Louisiana State and Miami.

-- Diane Pucin

Photo: Mater Dei's Matt Barkley. Credit: Kirby Lee / US Presswire

Catch CIF state football championships at Varsity Times Insider

Southern California is enjoying a nice dose of football weather this week, and it couldn't have come at a better time. The CIF state football championship bowl games are being played this weekend.

Two games are on tap tonight at the Home Depot Center, so stop by Varsity Times Insider for the latest game updates and commentary.

Three-time Southern Section champion San Juan Capistrano St. Margaret's (14-0) plays Hamilton City Hamilton (10-2) in the first-ever CIF State Small Schools Bowl at 4:30 p.m.

Corona Centennial (14-0) will play Concord De La Salle (12-1) for the CIF State Division I title in a rematch of last year's game at 8 p.m.

Also, each of tonight's games, as well as Saturday's games, will be broadcast live by Prime Ticket.

-- Austin Knoblauch

Photo: San Juan Capistrano St. Margaret's warms up prior to a Friday afternoon CIF game at Home Depot Center. Credit: Austin Knoblauch / Los Angeles Times

UCLA confirms Morrell Presley already enrolled for classes

UCLA just confirmed what Chris Foster reported a little while ago: Carson High's Morrell Presley is already enrolled at Westwood and should be ready for spring practice.

Pressley, rated the No. 1 tight end in the nation by Scout.com and ESPN.com, graduated from high school early and was anxious to begin his college career. He had first committed to USC but switched this week.

"I am obviously thrilled with Morrell’s decision," UCLA Coach Rick Neuheisel said in a statement. "He is a quality young man with tremendous upside as an athlete. Morrell personifies the new-age tight end. He is physical, so he can mix it up, yet agile enough to create mismatches with opponent defenses. He will love UCLA."

-- Debbie Goffa

Morrell Presley already enrolled at UCLA and waiting for spring

Morrell Presley, the Carson High tight end who surprisingly switched his commitment from USC to UCLA this week, wasted no time enrolling at Westwood and should be ready for spring practice, a source close to the program said Thursday.

Presley's unexpected decision reversed a trend in which the Bruins lost commitments in recent years and lent credence to Coach Rick Neuheisel's insistence that he and his staff would score a few upsets between the end of the season and national signing day.

The 6-4, 215-pound Presley also represents some good news in the wake of a 4-8 finish, the Bruins losing in the cross-town rivalry game for the ninth time in the last 10 years.

Presley graduated high school early, allowing for his timely start at UCLA. Rivals.com ranks him as the third-best tight end prospect in the nation. Watch the video of Presley on Varsity Times Insider.

-- Chris Foster

Photo: Morrell Presley, who first committed to USC. Credit: Lori Shepler / Los Angeles Times

Plenty of high school football playoff action tonight

I realize the Lakers' 16-2 start and Sean Avery's recent antics can be distracting, but don't forget there are a bunch of high school football playoff games tonight. You'll definitely want to stop by the Varsity Times Insider tonight for updates and scores from games around the Southland.

Eric Sondheimer will be sending in updates from the City Section Championship Division semifinal showdown between L.A. Crenshaw and Harbor City Narbonne and I'll be live blogging from the other semifinal game between Woodland Hills Taft and San Pedro.

Mark Medina will be blogging from Manhattan Beach, as Mira Costa attempts to block Palmdale from its second consecutive Western Division title appearance. We'll also have updates from the Northern Division semifinal between Ventura St. Bonaventure and Saugus thanks to my colleague, Steve Galluzzo.

Also, be sure to check out Ben Bolch's preview on all of this weekend's big semifinal matchups.

-- Austin Knoblauch

Photo: St. Bonaventure running back Patrick Hall breaks off a run against L.A. Jordan on Sept. 18. Credit: Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times