SIDELINES : Buena’s Swartout Might Prefer to Face Music in the Pool

Playing the two-meter position, Buena High’s Matt Swartout spends entire water polo matches in a pool with opponents climbing on him, elbowing him in the head, jamming his face underwater and kicking him.

So it’s kind of ironic that Swartout would suffer a serious injury . . . at a concert.

While watching a band play earlier this month, Swartout said, he was accidentally smacked in the face by an overzealous fan. He suffered a concussion and a cracked left cheekbone.

“My face still feels numb,” he said last week.

Swartout, one of the top players for Buena, missed the Bulldogs’ key game against Santa Barbara last Tuesday but, despite some discomfort, played Thursday against San Marcos.

One final note. The name of the band--Face to Face.

Take two: Soon after the public-address announcer started rattling off the numbers of door-prize winners, it became apparent something was wrong.

Nobody was showing up to claim the spoils.

Glenn Haller, Antelope Valley College’s sports information director, had arranged for a local hotel to supply prizes for randomly selected fans at Antelope Valley’s game Saturday against Desert. Now, it seemed, nobody was interested.

Not until the game was almost over was Haller informed that stadium workers had mistakenly failed to return ticket stubs--with the numbers on them--to fans.

The prize drawing has been rescheduled for Antelope Valley’s final home game, Nov. 12 against Citrus College.

Been there, done that: A guy should be considered an up-and-comer only for so long. Phil Gonzalez, a Crescenta Valley High senior, has passed that point.

Gonzalez, competing in his first full cross-country season, is one of the region’s top runners--period. Proof positive: his third-place finish Saturday in the boys’ individual sweepstakes race of the Mt. San Antonio College Invitational.

Although Gonzalez’s five-race winning streak came to a close, his time of 15 minutes 25 seconds over the three-mile course put him in a tie for sixth among Southern Section competitors at all levels in the two-day meet.

John Greene of Agoura (15:27), the defending Southern Section Division II champion, was among the more renowned runners who finished behind Gonzalez.

Quotebook

Telling it like it is:

Crescenta Valley running back Chris Hedrick, on last week’s 34-20 Pacific League loss to Hoover: “We underestimated them and they kicked our butts.”

And like it was . . .: Alemany Coach Pat Degnan, after opening Del Rey League play with consecutive losses to Bishop Amat (49-0) and Loyola (37-0): “We’re really happy to have those first two out of the way.”

Stats

Cal State Northridge safety Joseph Vaughn made his seventh pass interception of the season last week to tie the NCAA Division I-AA single-season record set in 1990 by Robert Turner of Jackson State. With 249 yards on interception returns, Vaughn is two shy of the I-AA single-season mark set by Zack Bronson of McNeese State in 1993.

Vaughn, a senior from Sylmar High, has returned four interceptions for touchdowns. Other than kicker Matt Ornelaz, he leads the Matadors in scoring. He also leads Northridge with 62 tackles, including 11 last week when he was selected the team’s defensive player of the week.

Hit hard: Because of injuries, the Camarillo High football team has lost its opening-day starters at nine of 22 positions.

Time off: Barring a big comeback, the Saugus High girls’ volleyball team will not make the playoffs, ending a streak of 15 years that a team coached by Bobbie Estes has qualified for the postseason.

Estes’ teams at La Canada High qualified for the playoffs 12 consecutive years before she took over at Saugus in 1991.

Honors

Senior Duc Ngo of Cal State Northridge, who caught 11 passes last week, has been selected American West Conference and team offensive player of the week. Ngo, who has 111 receptions in his career, last weekend broke the school record of 106 set by Dick Billingsley in 1966-67. Ngo’s 11 catches also tied an AWC single-game record set last fall by Joe Wade (Canyon High) of Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.

Happy returns: Glendale College receiver Tim Hilton has been selected Western State Conference offensive co-player of the week. Hilton returned four kickoffs for 175 yards, including one 78 yards for a touchdown, in a 38-6 victory over Ventura. He also had a 44-yard touchdown reception.

Kingsmen crowned: Cal Lutheran defensive back Chad Valousky has been selected Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference defensive player of the week. Valousky had three interceptions, including one he returned 55 yards for a touchdown, in Cal Lutheran’s 43-14 victory against Azusa Pacific on Saturday.

Things to Do

Today, 3:15 p.m., Rancho Simi Community Park in Simi Valley: Royal and Agoura highs play a Marmonte League water polo rematch. In their last meeting, Agoura snapped Royal’s 66-match league winning streak. A victory today would all but assure Agoura of ending Royal’s string of 13 consecutive Marmonte League titles.

Contributing: Fernando Dominguez, Steve Elling, Jeff Fletcher, Vince Kowalick, Michael Lazarus, John Ortega and Gerry Price.