Eastlake's Stephen Carr and Mt. Carmel's Whitney Spence have been honored as the top high school scholar-athletes for 2005-06 by the Hall of Champions.
Carr, who received the Russ Saunders Award, carries a 3.88 grade-point average and will attend Stanford on a football scholarship.
Spence, who also will attend Stanford, received the Maureen Connolly Award for excelling in swimming and basketball and earning a 4.25 GPA.
Santa Fe Christian boys basketball coach Randy Wright and Mt. Carmel girls basketball coach Robin Blalock were named Coaches of the Year by the Hall of Champions.
Eagles Hall of Fame
Granite Hills will induct three members into its Athletics Hall of Fame as part of its annual Athletics Award Night at 6:30 tonight in the school gym. This year's inductees are running back “Touchdown” Tommy Vardell, who starred at Stanford and in the NFL for the Browns, Lions and 49ers; the late Joe Roth, who quarterbacked Grossmont College to its first state championship in 1974 and then guided Cal to a Pac-10 title in 1975; and longtime administrator and former coach Mimi Test.
Escondido AD
Steve Bridges has been named athletic director at Escondido. He replaces Paul Gomes, who will stay on as football coach. Bridges is also defensive coordinator for the football team and boys golf coach.
Coaching changes
Kevin Mahady has been hired to coach boys basketball at Monte Vista. Currently a teacher and basketball coach at Palmdale, Mahady will take over for longtime coach Zach Peck, who remains the AD.
Charlie Wund has been named football coach at San Diego Jewish Academy.
Staff writers Bill Dickens and Nicole Vargas and community sports writer Kevin Gemmell contributed to this report.
