Athletes

A Columbine High School basketball star who witnessed last year's shooting rampage--losing one of his best friends--hanged himself in his garage as a CD, set to replay continuously, blared a song with the words: "I'm too depressed to go on." It was the second suicide among friends or relatives of the Columbine High victims, shocking the community two weeks after the first anniversary of the massacre. Greg Barnes, a 17-year-old who averaged 26.

I appreciate the prayers for what I now understand to be my hell-bound soul from readers appalled by God's recent letter in this space. Recall that the thrust of this little satirical note was my take that we've gone way overboard in sports with public, pious displays. I'm not a big fan of the kind of grandstanding shout-outs to Jesus we'll almost certainly see today from members of the Super Bowl's winning team.

GIRLS' Mayra Villalobos SCHOOL: Sylmar YEAR: Junior SPORT: Volleyball SEASON AT A GLANCE: Villalobos, an outside hitter, is a leader for the Spartans, ranked No. 10 in the region by The Times. She teams with middle blocker Kassy Jimenez to give Sylmar one of the best inside-outside attacks in the City Section. Villalobos' older sister, Sonia, helped the Spartans win the 1996 3-A Division title.