El Dorado High School

It may have looked a wee bit unorthodox, sending your 6-foot-5, .400 hitter up to the plate to lay down a bunt to lead off the top of the fifth inning in the most important game of the season. But that was nothing compared to the sight of that power hitter, El Dorado High School senior Matt Luke, charging toward home plate three batters later. Luke was stealing home, and only a few in Dodger Stadium seemed to notice. Luke managed to avoid teammate Crosby Spencer, who was standing in the batter's box awaiting the pitch.

An El Dorado High School coach was arrested on suspicion of having sex with a player on his basketball team four years ago, officials said Tuesday. Garrett Yoshina, 34, of Placentia, who coaches girls' basketball and softball, was charged with two counts of having sex with the girl, who was 16 at the time, police said. Yoshina was released from Orange County Jail on a $50,000 bond.

FOCUS: El Dorado High School student Sarah Frost comes alive when she puts on her mascot costume--so much so that she won a regional cheerleading competition that sent her to London. B2

Authorities have arrested two El Dorado High School students on suspicion of planning a Columbine-style attack. Two 16-year-old boys were arrested for allegedly making criminal threats after a search turned up hand-drawn diagrams and other evidence, according to El Dorado County Dist. Atty. Gary Lacy.

Art Lopez, a 6-foot-3, 225-pound offensive tackle from El Dorado High School, has been added to the North squad for the 30th Orange County All-Star football game June 30. Lopez replaces Brian Tomazic, a 6-2, 245-pound lineman from El Dorado, who quit the team before Tuesday's practice.

Authorities have arrested two El Dorado High School students on suspicion of planning a Columbine-style attack. Two 16-year-old boys were arrested for allegedly making criminal threats after a search turned up hand-drawn diagrams and other evidence, according to El Dorado County Dist. Atty. Gary Lacy.

The El Dorado High School girls volleyball team defeated El Modena, 15-12, 7-15, 15-6, 15-8, in a CIF Southern Section 4-A wildcard match at El Modena Tuesday. Laurie McRae had 10 hits and 2 blocks and Darla Scott had 6 kills, 10 hits and 4 blocks for the Vanguards. El Dorado will play Garden Grove in the first round on Thursday.

Residents near El Dorado High School, complaining that students are taking up all the parking spots in the area, have proposed either restricting street parking to two hours or to cars with a neighborhood permit. The City Council will review the request at its meeting Tuesday night and is expected to make a decision because the high school will start its session on Sept. 7. The meeting will begin at 7 p.m. at City Hall, 401 E. Chapman Ave.

An El Dorado High School coach was arrested on suspicion of having sex with a player on his basketball team four years ago, officials said Tuesday. Garrett Yoshina, 34, of Placentia, who coaches girls' basketball and softball, was charged with two counts of having sex with the girl, who was 16 at the time, police said. Yoshina was released from Orange County Jail on a $50,000 bond.

Under a searing flood of lights, Dan Kaneyuki approaches the microphone with his tenor saxophone, stage center and alone. He knows this is it. The weight of the competition rests on these next 140 measures of music. One flub could mean the difference between first place and runner-up. Or worse. The overflowing audience looks on. Dan closes his eyes, exhales deeply and hits the first note of "Moonlight in Vermont": a C-sharp.

After a one-year absence, Steve Gullotti will return to coach Placentia El Dorado's baseball team. He replaces Matt Stine, who will become an assistant. Stine led the Golden Hawks to the Southern Section Division III title, their second in three years. Gullotti led El Dorado to section titles in 1989 and '99. Mike Nickeas of Westlake Village, Sergio Santos of Hacienda Heights and James Guerrero of Fontana have been selected to play for the U.S.

Rick Jones, who coached El Dorado to three Empire League titles and nine playoff appearances in 12 years, has been fired as the school's football coach. Jones contended that a few unhappy parents were responsible for his ouster, but Principal Karen Wilkins denied that that was the case. "The concerns of the parents are not what influenced my decision," said Wilkins, who is in her second year as principal at El Dorado. "I feel [the program] needs a new direction and a fresh start. . . .

Re "Student Musicians Sent Home From Sydney" (Sept. 13): Sending home four students from Sydney was a petty, tyrannical act by the representatives of El Dorado High. The drinking age in Sydney happens to be 18. The matter should have been dealt with back in the U.S. Orange County is known for its petty, right-wing, reactionary, zero-tolerance policies. The phone message of the school states that El Dorado is a place for the development of the intellect and "character." The only character that is developed in Orange County schools is that of prison guards for the police state that is developing in this country!

Four El Dorado High School band members who had flown to Australia to perform in opening ceremonies for the 2000 Olympic Games were sent home after being caught drinking, authorities said Tuesday. The three boys and one girl, whose names were not released, were ousted by band director Richard Watson and other school representatives, officials said. "The whole thing turned out to be painful for everyone," said Karen Wilkins, principal of the Placentia school.

Students from the El Dorado High School band will perform a send-off concert for the community at 7 tonight before leaving Thursday to take part in the opening ceremonies of the 2000 Summer Games in Sydney, Australia. The performance will be held at the south end of Tri-City Park, 2301 N. Kraemer Blvd., to demonstrate the band's appreciation to the community for its support. Band members raised $103,000 in donations to help pay for the trip.

El Dorado High forward Ignacio Cid isn't sure what was more painful--the throbbing in his right knee or watching his teammates celebrate a 2-1 overtime victory over Palm Springs Wednesday in the second round of the Southern Section Division II boys' soccer playoffs. "That was the worst day," Cid said. "We scored and there was a big dog pile and I couldn't even run over there."