Oaks Christian

Duke University receiver Blair Holliday is in critical condition after suffering head injuries in a boating accident, school officials said Thursday. The former Oaks Christian standout and another person apparently collided while riding personal watercrafts around 5 p.m. Wednesday on Lake Tillery, about an hour east of Charlotte, N.C., Lt. John Howell of the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission said. Holliday was taken to Stanley Regional Medical Center in Albemarle, then airlifted to the UNC Trauma Center in Chapel Hill.

Phil Bickford of Westlake Village Oaks Christian and Dominic Smith of Gardena Serra were in a celebratory mood after being chosen No. 10 and No. 11, respectively, during Major League Baseball's first-year player draft on Thursday. Bickford, a 6-foot-4 right-handed pitcher with a 96-mph fastball, went to the Toronto Blue Jays. Smith, a left-handed-hitting first baseman who struck seven home runs this season, was taken by the New York Mets. Smith was in New Jersey as part of an invitation from MLB to be part of the draft festivities, and former Crenshaw High and New York Mets and Dodgers outfielder Darryl Strawberry was there to offer congratulations.

Normal, quiet life in suburbia is going to come to a screeching halt in Westlake Village on Thursday night as all eyes focus on the Marmonte League football showdown between Oaks Christian (3-1, 3-0) and host Westlake (4-0, 3-0). If the matchup is anywhere close to what happened the last time these two neighborhood rivals played, Westlake Coach Jim Benkert will get a few more gray hairs and Oaks Christian Coach Bill Redell will get even balder. Oaks Christian defeated Westlake, 29-28, in the Northern Division championship game when a 41-yard field-goal try by Alex Ball hit the right goal post with one second left.

A fastball that touches 96 mph combined with pinpoint control could lead to right-hander Phil Bickford of Westlake Village Oaks Christian becoming a top-10 selection when the first 73 picks of Major League Baseball's amateur draft are made Thursday in Secaucus, N.J. Rounds 3 through 10 will take place Friday, followed by Rounds 11 through 40 on Saturday. The draft begins at 4 p.m. PDT. The Houston Astros have the No. 1 pick, followed by the Chicago Cubs and Colorado Rockies. The Dodgers have the 18th pick; the Angels' first choice comes at No. 59. The 6-foot-4, 185-pound Bickford has momentum entering the draft after striking out 18 batters, including 11 in a row, Saturday night when Oaks Christian won the Southern Section Division 4 championship with a 4-0 victory over Pico Rivera El Rancho.

The Pac-5 Division football playoffs are about survival and finding a way to advance, and Sherman Oaks Notre Dame left no doubt about how fortunate it was on Friday night after pulling out a 28-27 first-round victory over Westlake Village Oaks Christian. "We're lucky and we'll take it," Notre Dame Coach Kevin Rooney said. The luck came into play after Oaks Christian converted a fourth-and-five situation with 1 minute 19 seconds left. Chris Davis caught a 32-yard touchdown pass from Brandon Dawkins.

Bill Redell, one of the most successful high school football coaches in Southern Section history, announced his retirement from coaching on Wednesday after 12 seasons at Westlake Village Oaks Christian and 24 overall. Redell, 70, started the Oaks Christian program from scratch, and in 12 years built it into a powerhouse, winning seven Southern Section titles. He also won a Division I championship when he coached at Encino Crespi in 1986 and also coached at St. Francis. His career record is 233-65-3.

Despite its youth, Corona Centennial High is proof that solid execution and hustle can trump experience. The Huskies have two sophomore starters and three more sophomores and a freshman as reserves, but they did not panic after falling behind by 10 points in the first three minutes Friday night in the semifinals of the Oaks Christian tournament. Senior guard Sam Finley scored 28 points, junior forward Deontae North had 15 and sophomore point guard Sedrick Barefield survived early foul trouble to score nine points as Centennial allowed only 24 points in the second half of a 69-63 victory over previously unbeaten Fresno Bullard.

Aaron Ware, the younger brother of UCLA-bound football standout Matt Ware of Loyola High, has decided to attend Oaks Christian High in Westlake Village. Ware, a 5-foot-10 eighth-grader, is a highly regarded running back and joins an Oaks Christian football program that will compete in its first varsity season this fall.

There was a traffic jam of epic proportions Friday night in Westlake Village, and it involved trying to walk around Oaks Christian's sideline, where everyone and his brother seemed to have a pass allowing them to be up close when history was made.

Peter Ackermann, coach at Westlake Village Oaks Christian, said that Saturday was among the greatest days in the program's history. Behind the play of senior Ashley Veilleux and sophomore Taylor Schlopy, the Lions beat two formidable opponents, Goleta Dos Pueblos, 7-1, and Santa Ana Mater Dei, 3-0, in the Thousand Oaks tournament to advance to the semifinals next Saturday.

Rank, School (Record), Playoff division . 1. MATER DEI (24-2) SS-Division 1¿ 2. OAKS CHRISTIAN (24-3-1) SS-Division 4¿ 3. BONITA (25-3-1) SS-Division 3¿ 4. EL TORO (21-6) SS-Division 1¿ 5. ORANGE LUTHERAN (19-7) SS-Division 1 ¿6. HARVARD-WESTLAKE (23-4) SS-Division 1¿ 7. FOUNTAIN VALLEY (24-4) SS-Division 1 ¿8. GARDENA SERRA (23-5) SS-Division 3¿ 9. ANAHEIM CANYON (22-5) SS-Division 1¿ 10. REDLANDS EAST VALLEY (22-4-1) SS-Division 2¿ 11. GAHR (20-5)

More than 25 pro baseball scouts are crowded around the bullpen at Westlake Village Oaks Christian to catch a glimpse of senior right-hander Phil Bickford warming up. Some are holding stopwatches; others are carrying video cameras. It's an all-out study session that will repeat itself each time Bickford steps on the mound. Whether he smiles or frowns, whether he winks or sighs, every reaction is being watched and evaluated. The reason: Bickford has put himself in position to be a possible first-round pick in the June amateur draft.

J.P. Crawford of Lakewood can create havoc on the base paths with his speed. He tries to get on base any way possible, and one way is with a drag bunt that he pulled off with precision on Tuesday in an opening game of the Boras Classic at Mater Dei. With two outs in the third inning, he got a bunt to fall in front of Anaheim Canyon second baseman Cole Garcia and reached first safely. He moved to second on a steal, went to third on an errant pickoff attempt and soon scored on a two-run single by Jonathan Pasillas.

No. 4 Westlake Village Oaks Christian (2-0) at Sammamish (Wash.) Skyline (2-0), 7 p.m. , ESPNU -- A victory at Skyline might temporarily silence those who contend that Oaks Christian feasts on a weak nonleague schedule. The Totems are two-time defending Washington state champions who have won 30 consecutive games and feature Brigham Young-bound quarterback Jake Heaps. A triumph would give Oaks Christian Coach Bill Redell his 200th coaching victory in 22 years at the high school level.