Granada Hills High coach Tom Harp goes for another volleyball title
Tom Harp has been coaching volleyball at Granada Hills High for so long that few people remember when he won a city section championship as head football coach with Darryl Stroh in 1987.
In the 1990s, he turned his attention exclusively to coaching men’s and women’s volleyball, winning a total of 15 City titles and playing in 28 finals. The top-seeded Highlanders will attempt to win a seventh Open Division championship Saturday when they face West Valley League rival Chatsworth in a 4 p.m. final in Birmingham.
The league rivals split their two West Valley matches, each going five games. Chatsworth knocked off 17-time champion Palisades in the semifinals. MIT-bound Grant Chang is Chatsworth’s 6-foot-6 power outside hitter.
All-City volleyball player RJ Francisco of Granada Hills shows off his hitting skills against Chatsworth.
(Craig Weston)
Granada Hills has RJ Francisco, who had 19 kills in a win over Chatsworth.
The Southern Section Division 1 final is Friday night, with Mira Costa taking on Loyola in a 7:30 p.m. game at Cerritos College.
The regional and national playoffs begin next week.
This is a daily look at positive happenings in high school sports. To submit news, please email eric.sondheimer@latimes.com.
