September 2009 Archives
Ho ho ho. Josh Shaw, a Palmdale defensive back who is among the nation's top recruits, says he will announce his college choice on Christmas Day. Among those in the running are USC, UCLA, Notre Dame, Florida, Oklahoma, Ohio State and Michigan.
-- Gerry Gittelson
Dietrich Riley, a top multi-purpose back from St. Francis, has received a scholarship offer from Florida, the latest in a long line of top major colleges bidding for his services.
Among the others are USC, UCLA, Michigan, Notre Dame, Tennessee and Washington.
-- Gerry Gittelson
One football coach who might never retire is Birmingham assistant Wayne Sink, 73, who has been coaching continuously at the school in various capacities since 1963 - a span of 46 years -- and has no intention of stopping anytime soon.
"My wife has given me two pieces of advice -- No. 1, keep busy, and No. 2, get the hell out of the house -- so that's what I'm doing," Sink said.
Said athletic director Rick Prizant: "What Wayne Sink does for Birmingham is irreplaceable. He's not just the spirit of the school, he's a fix-it man who solves all of your problems."
With his deep, gruff voice, grizzled features and hands like a lumberjack, Sink can be intimidating, but beneath that tough exterior is a bit of a softie, Prizant said.
"Let's put it this way: I am no longer in mortal fear of Coach Sink like I was when I was a student here," Prizant said. "He's a really good guy."
-- Speaking of retirement, there is recurring speculation Oaks Christian head coach Bill Redell will call it a day after this season, but until it is official no one is quite sure what the 68-year-old is going to do.
Oaks Christian quarterback Nick Montana does not have a clue.
"You never really know with a guy like that. He could retire, but he's really enjoying coaching," Montana said. "I know it's going to be tough for him to give it up because he loves football and he's been around the game forever."
-- Gerry Gittelson
Crespi has been on the hunt for a kickoff specialist who can put the ball into the end zone, and the Celts might have found one in Hroniss Grasu, a 6-3, 260-pound lineman whose brother, Nico, is a kicker for Washington State.
The other day, Grasu was kicking 40-yard field goals in his free time when he accidently booted one through the uprights that soared into the parking lot and shattered the windshield of assistant coach Awan Diles' truck.
"I felt bad. I was down about it all practice but Coach (Jeremiah) Ross said not to worry about it," Grasu said.
MORE CRESPI NEWS
One Crespi player who is a crowd favorite is little Michael Davison, a sophomore reserve running back who is listed at 5-foot-4 but is actually closer to 5-1. He scored a touchdown the first time he touched the football this season on a 2-yard run in an opening victory over Lancaster, and he also showed some nifty open-field moves on a 25-yard punt return against Birmingham.
"He's an exciting kid. He can run and do some stuff with his feet," Ross said. "He's not so easy to tackle because you've got to get your hands on him first."
Ankle injuries often can linger, but the good news at Grace Brethren in Simi Valley is quarterback Max Leffler, who badly twisted his ankle in the second football game of the season, has recovered quickly.
Leffler was supposed to miss three games but was back after one week, returning Friday in a 22-9 victory over Carpinteria in which he passed for 293 yards and two touchdowns and also rushed for a team-high 53 yards.
"Max came back faster than expected and got a lot of help from our trainer, Norma Skinner," coach Terry Gourley said. "He was still limping around and was only about 90 percent, but that was good enough. I hope he is going to be 100 percent this week against Frazier Mountain because we need him because they're undefeated."
-- Gerry Gittelson
There is no place like home for Moorpark's football team. The Musketeers are in the midst of a four-game home stretch to begin the season, and so far they're 3-0 heading into the Marmonte League opener Friday against visiting Calabasas.
"It's nice. It feels good to play at home because we always get a good crowd," Moorpark kicker Stephen Picchini said.
Congrats to Scott Drootin, Ryan Braun and Jordan Farmar, all of whom are being inducted into the Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in January.
Drootin is a top baseball coach who is at Golden Valley after stints at Chaminade of West Hills, Calabasas and Newbury Park. Braun, who prepped at Granada Hills, is an All-Star baseball player for the Milwaukee Brewers. Farmar, a Taft of Woodland Hills and UCLA alum, is an NBA basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers.
-- Gerry Gittelson
The one and only Harry Welch is the official master of ceremonies for the annual Crespi Hall of Fame induction ceremony Saturday beginning at 5 p.m. This should be a good event because Crespi is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year.
Here are the inductees:
Jim Franklin '66, football and track: Over his football career, he had 10
interceptions, and in track, he won league in the 100-yard dash at 9.6.
Bill Schnieders '74, football: All-CIF fullback on 1973 CIF runner-up
team
Bobby Kettles '74, football, basketball and track: Del Rey League MVP and All-
CIF on the 1973 CIF runner-up football team
Willie Curran '78, football and track: Set a national record in 330 low hurdles
with a 35.8-second time, was a three-time All-CIF track performer and had a
successful football career with UCLA and the Atlanta Falcons
Ron Smith '80, swimming: All-American swimmer and two-time CIF champion
in the 200-meter individual medley, 100-meter backstroke and still holds the school
record in the 200 IM with a time of 1:53:86
1964 baseball team: 12-0 in league play
1965 football team: 12-1 season
Crespi Man Award: Bill Hedlund (1943 -97), well-known math teacher from
1970-97 and coach of the 1975 semifinalist basketball team, ended his career with
.833 winning percentage
Legends of Mount Carmel: Paul Muff MCHS '65 (1947-94), graduate of Mount
Carmel High School in Los Angeles and served as athletic director, basketball coach
and math teacher at Crespi, ended his career with .613 winning percentage
Spiritual Leader Award:
Fr. Joe Atcher, principal of Crespi from 1985-89
Buehla Schlichte, founding secretary from 1959-95
PAST INDUCTEES:
2002
Russell White '89
Christian Fauria '90
Shaun Williams '94
2003
Babe Laufenberg '78
Coach John Becker
Coach George Kenny
2004
Brian Porter '66
Coach Steve Butler
2005
Steve Caminiti '64
Randy Cross '72
Coach Bill Redell
2006
Lennie Ciufo
1965 4-Mile Relay Team
(Kearns, Saykally, Bowler, Romain)
1986 Football Team
2007
Steve Hilbert '66
Bob Barber '69
Guy Arbogast '74
Joe Carrabino '80
1973 Football Team
Fr. Al Koppes-Spiritual Award
Mike Mugel-Crespi Man Award
2008
Rick Dempsey '67
John Sullivan '72
Keith Eck '73
John Tronson '82
Chris Nikchevich '82
1963 Track and Field Team
Ed Marek-Crespi Man Award
Fr. Leopold Glueckert-Spiritual Award
Marlin & Michael McKeever-Legends
of Mount Carmel
-- Gerry Gittelson
Brandon Owen, a returning All-Southern Section lineman for Paraclete, is out for the rest of the season because of broken hand suffered two weeks ago against Barstow.
Also, Paraclete's nonleague game Friday against visiting Hart of Newhall has been switched to Knight High in Palmdale because of ongoing construction at Antelope Valley College, Paraclete's home stadium.
-- Gerry Gittelson
Ben Loth, a 6-5, 295-pound offensive lineman at Crespi, set an unofficial school record Tuesday by receiving two major-college scholarship offers in the same day -- Fresno State and Iowa State. He also has been offered by UNLV.
-- Gerry Gittelson
Cassius Marsh, an Oaks Christian defensive lineman who is among the area's top uncommitted college recruits, is out this coming Friday at Venice because of a slightly sprained knee but is expected back soon.
"I've got to miss this game, but I'll be back 100 percent next week," Marsh said. "It's not serious."
- Gerry Gittelson
Four Knight High of Palmdale players are suspended for a Golden League game Friday at Antelope Valley because they participated in a brawl and were ejected last week during a 39-13 victory over visiting Sultana of Hesperia. Two Sultana players also were ejected and won't play this week.
"I wouldn't necessarily call it a brawl. It looked more like a rugby match," Knight athletic director Jim Bauer said. "It was on a kick return over by (Sultana's) bench, and some kids got involved."
Meanwhile, it's going to be a big night for Antelope Valley, as former coach Brent Newcomb is having the stadium named after him. Newcomb coached for 26 years and won 18 league titles and three section championships in six appearances.
"I don't think anyone deserves it more. He's done more for this program than anyone," said Antelope Valley coach Brett Pape, who played for Newcomb in the late 1980s.
Formerly Mays Field, Antelope Valley's stadium is going to be renamed Brent Newcomb Stadium at Mays Field.
-- Gerry Gittelson
When coach Ed Croson arrived at Chaminade of West Hills this past summer after 10 years at Birmingham of Lake Balboa, he did not bring any assistants with him, so it has taken some time for the Eagles to learn Croson's complex offensive system.
That's why the Eagles (3-0), who play at Canyon (0-3) on Friday, continue to install new schemes and plays on a weekly basis.
"It's all brand new. We probably have about 40 percent of the offense right now," Croson said. "We've got a whole new offense, so it's probably going to take three years before we get it all in."
-- Gerry Gittelson
Because strength of schedule is such an important factor for the CIF State Bowl selection committee, particularly for small-school power Oaks Christian of Westlake Village -- which was snubbed last year despite going 14-0 -- the Lions (3-0) could use some outside help.
For one, after defeating Skyline (Wash.) 28-25 on Sept. 18, the Lions are hoping Skyline remains enamored by winning the rest of its games, including a third consecutive state championship. The odds are good Oaks Christian will remain undefeated once again, and it would help if powerful Serra of Gardena, one of California's top teams, also remains undefeated if and when the teams meet in the Northwest playoffs.
-- Gerry Gittelson
Akeem Gonzales, a 6-foot-2, 230-pound offensive lineman for Alemany of Mission Hills, is coming on strong. He has been offered a Washington scholarship, and his blocking Friday against Taft helped spring Malcolm Marable, who rushed for 147 yards and four touchdowns in a 28-19 victory.
"Akeem had some great blocks against Taft, and now he's playing some defensive end for us, too," Alemany coach Dean Herrington said.
After losing its opener to Oaks Christian, Alemany (3-1) has won three in a row heading into a nonleague game Saturday at 7 p.m. at Harvard-Westlake (2-0) in North Hollywood.
Harvard-Westlake competes in a lesser division but has yet to give up a point this season, and last year the Wolverines nearly pulled off an upset over Alemany, which escaped with a 17-10 victory.
"We made a lot of mistakes last year, and they played us tough," Herrington said. "They're just a smart football team with a solid quarterback and a quick running back, just like last year."
-- Gerry Gittelson
Once among the San Fernando Valley's winningest programs before switching to eight-man football the past three seasons because of dwindling participation, Montclair Prep of Panorama City is not exactly celebrating its return to 11-man, as the Mounties (0-3) have lost by average of more than 18 points.
"We're really like a JV team playing a varsity schedule," coach George Giannini said.
But Montclair Prep does have youth on its side, as several freshmen are making important contributions, including running back Terrell Newby, quarterback Fabian Alomar and receiver Elijah Dunston. Last week, Newby rushed for 159 yards and 22 carries, and Alomar passed for 125 yards, including three touchdowns to Dunston, who has four touchdowns on the season.
-- Gerry Gittelson
Kevin Williams, a highly regarded safety at Crespi of Encino, made his debut Friday in a 42-40 overtime loss to St. Bonaventure of Ventura after changing his mind about quitting the team to focus on baseball. He sat out the first series but then played most of the game.
"It was a lot of fun playing with my teammates again," Williams said. "It was a little shock to the system in the first half, but then things started to fall into place."
-- Gerry Gittelson
Expect a shootout Friday when Canoga Park (3-0) plays host to Poly of Sun Valley (2-1) in an East Valley League opener, as both average more than 46 points.
The difference is, Canoga Park, led by quarterback Frank Koppenhauer, loves to pass the football, while Poly, led by running back Kevin Ervin, runs a double-wing.
"It should a be a good game. It's going to be one of those games that goes back and forth," Poly coach Scott Faer said. "They beat us last year, but we didn't have Kevin Ervin that night because he was hurt. We'll see what happens in the end."
-- Gerry Gittelson
Justin Patrick, a tight end for Taft of Woodland Hills, is recovering from a thumb injury and is probable Friday against Saugus.
-- Gerry Gittelson
Michael Thomas, a reserve receiver at Taft who transferred from Oaks Christian in late summer, has great bloodlines. His uncle is Keyshawn Johnson.
"I'm still learning the plays. It's kind of hard with the no-huddle," Thomas said.
Thomas, a 6-foot-1 junior with slam-dunk jumping ability, has yet to catch a pass but has impressed teammate Lucky Radley, a running back/linebacker who also transferred in from Agoura.
"Michael is very motivated and works hard. He wants to follow in his uncle's footsteps, and I think he can if he continues to work hard," Radley said. "He has major potential and he will be a D1 college player one day."
-- Gerry Gittelson
Josh Gibbs, a College of the Canyons safety who played at Valencia and West Ranch, has committed to Kentucky.
-- Gerry Gittelson
Hey folks, it's a late on a Sunday night (for me) but I just thought you would want to know that I touched base a moment ago with Oaks Christian's star running back Malcolm Jones, and he said he liked Stanford a lot on his recruiting visit this past weekend but he did not commit.
So that means it's still between Stanford and UCLA.
-- Gerry Gittelson
Cheyenne Coyle, a top returning softball player at Chatsworth, has committed to Florida on a full scholarship.
-- Gerry Gittelson
DAILY NEWS TOP 10
1. Oaks Christian (3-0) - Game at Venice should be like day at beach
2. Moorpark (3-0) - One of three undefeated Marmonte teams
3. Notre Dame (3-1) - Averaging 35.2 points per game
4. Crespi (2-2) - Celts coming off two heartbreaking losses in row
5. Alemany (3-1) - RB Malcolm Marable: 147 yards, four TDs vs. Taft
6. Valencia (3-0) - Has scored 35 points or more every game
7. Westlake (3-0) - Few can match Westlake's offensive firepower
8. Newbury Park (3-0) - Panthers winning by average of more than 20 points
9. Taft (1-2) - Faces Saugus in matchup of two top programs with losing records
10. Chaminade (3-0) - Revitalized Eagles already have surpassed last year's win total
10. Hart (2-1) - C.J. Reyes is among area's hottest QBs
OTHERS: Saugus (1-2); St. Francis (3-0); San Fernando (2-0); Palmdale (1-2); Arleta (2-1).
-- Gerry Gittelson
Kevin Ervin, a running back for Poly High of Sun Valley, came through with the performance of a lifetime Friday, rushing for 409 yards and six touchdowns on 20 carries in a 58-27 victory at Granada Hills.
No City Section player from the San Fernando Valley has ever rushed for more yards in one game, according to the Cal-Hi Sports record book. The City Section record is 475 yards by Sherman Austin of Lincoln of L.A. (vs. Venice, 1997).
"It feels good, but I have to give the credit to my linemen and my coaching staff. They prepared us," Ervin said. "I'm not tired, but I'm a little sore."
Ervin, a 5-foot-10, 185-pound junior, scored on runs of 6, 1, 85, 10, 1 and 86 yards, and he also scored on a two-point conversion run. In three games, he has rushed for 727 yards on 49 carries - an average of 14.8 yards - and 12 touchdowns.
Ervin broke Jermaine Pledger's 1990 school record of 328 yards in one game.
"Kevin was nothing less than amazing. He wanted the ball really bad," Poly coach Scott Faer said. "We kept running the same play, a power pitch, and we had some great blocking from the Garcia brothers, Alberto and Gerardo."
Injury-strapped Birmingham of Lake Balboa has won four City Section titles over the past six seasons but is 0-4, and its next two opponents, Dorsey of L.A. and El Camino Real of Woodland Hills, are 3-0.
First-year coach Jim Rose is still waiting for his first victory, but former coach Ed Croson, who is 3-0 at Chaminade of West Hills this season, says not to worry.
"Birmingham is trying, but sometimes transitions are not easy. They have some holes to fill this season," Croson said. "I still think they're going to do a good job. They've just been playing some great teams. One year, we started 1-4 at Birmingham and ended up winning the City championship, so it's not time to throw the dirt on them yet."
The good news for Birmingham is USC-bound running back Trajuan Briggs, who has yet to play because of a broken ankle, is slated to have his cast removed Monday.
"We still don't know when I'll be back. It all depends on the therapy," Briggs said.
-- Gerry Gittelson
Here's something you don't see every day: DeAndre Roberts, a top defensive lineman at Sylmar, was so overcome by smoke from the stadium barbeque Friday at El Camino Real in Woodland Hills that he couldn't breathe properly and was taken by ambulance to the hospital in the third quarter of a 27-0 loss.
"DeAndre has a slight asthma problem, and the smoke was just too heavy for him," Sylmar coach London Woodfin said. "I guess the smoke activated his asthma, and he couldn't breathe."
-- Gerry Gittelson
After kicking seven field goals in each of his first two years, Matt Goudis of Chaminade is having another good year. In three games, the junior has four field goals in five attempts, and he is 11 of 11 on extra points.
-- Gerry Gittelson
Palmdale (1-2) is off to its worst start since 2005, but the losses have been to Foothill League powers Hart and Valencia, two of the Southland's most consistently successful programs.
"It's a tough schedule, but this is what we need to get ready for the Golden League," coach Jeff Williams said.
-- Gerry Gittelson
After losing 44-0 to Upland on Friday, Eastside of Lancaster should be much improved this week because three starters are expected back. Quarterback Brent Jones missed the game for disciplinary reasons, and running back DaJohn Gaines and offensive lineman Leo Gak are recovering from ankle injuries.
-- Gerry Gittelson
Something has to give Friday in a matchup of winless teams between Van Nuys (0-3) and host North Hollywood (0-4).
"We're going to give it our best. I think it will be a fun game," Van Nuys coach Sean Pollard said.
-- Gerry Gittelson
Crespi High of Encino played its heart out on offense and defense Friday against national power St. Bonaventure of Ventura, but the Celts' special teams let them down in a heartbraking 42-41 overtime loss at Crespi.
Crespi (2-2) allowed a kick-return touchdown for the second time in two games, and a missed extra point in overtime proved to be the difference, as St. Bonaventure's sophomore Mason Kirk kicked the winning extra-point following a 2-yard touchdown run by Logan Meyer in overtime.
"There are three sides to football, and special teams is one of the most important aspects," Crespi offensive lineman Hroniss Grasu said. "This was a learning experience."
At 5-foot-6 and 130 pounds, Kirk was the smallest player on the field, but he came up with the biggest play by converting the winning extra point.
"To tell you the truth, I was really nervous at first, but after our coach called a timeout, I felt good," Kirk said. "I was relieved when I made it. It felt good."
The loss was Crespi's second in a row.
"I'm proud of my kids. They showed character," Crespi coach Jeremiah Ross said. "We're going to continue to get better each week."
St. Bonaventure (4-0) is ranked No. 1 in California and No. 16 in the nation by USA Today, but Crespi gave the Seraphs all they could handle.
Crespi's Bryan Bennett completed 17 of 26 passes for 220 yards and three touchdowns. Rhasheed Johnson rushed for 158 yards in 16 carries, including three touchdowns. His 2-yard touchdown run in overtime gave Crespi its lead. Devin Lucien scored Crespi's final touchdown in regulation on a 47-yard pass with 3:35 left.
With the score tied at 35 with just over two minutes remaining, Crespi got the ball on the 50 but fumbled it away on the first play. But the Celts held St. Bonaventure to three-and-out and got the ball back with 1:09 remaining on its own 10 but could not break the tie.
Meyer completed 16 of 25 for 168 yards and two touchdowns, and he rushed for 56 yards and one touchdown. Devon Blackledge added 94 yards on 24 carries.
Crespi failed to record a first down on its first two possession, but then Bennet got hot. He hit Blake Stanton on a 46-yard touchdown pass to forge a 7-7 tie, then connected with Pierce Richardson a 9-yard touchdown with five seconds remaining in the half to give Crespi a 14-7 lead.
Bennett completed 8 of his first 9 passes and finished the first half 11 of 16 for 142 yards and two touchdowns.
Crespi's second touchdown drive in the final minutes of the first half was set up by Brad Lattanzio's fumble recovery on the Crespi 41. The Celts drove 59 yards on 10 plays, including four Bennett completions.
St. Bonaventure had difficulty moving the ball but put together a 12-play, 82-yard touchdown drive late in the second quarter, culminating with a 10-yard scoring by Troy Hill.
Once St. Bonaventure scored, the Seraphs failed to cross midfield again in the first half.
The momentum changed in the second half, when Jalen Jefferson returned a Bennett interception 45 yards for a touchdown. But the ensuring point-after kick was wide right, and Crespi remained ahead 14-13.
Then Crespi scored again on a Johnson's 23-yard run to make it 21-13, as the Celts drove 63 yards on 10 plays, with Bennett completed 4 of 5 for 34 yards on the drive.
An eight-point lead in the second half seemed like a good cushion, but St. Bonaventure immediately scored on a 95-kick return by Troy Hill -- the second kick-return touchdown allowed by Crespi over the past two games. Hill's touchdown, followed by Devon Blacklege's two-point conversion run pulled the Seraphs forged a 21-21 tie.
The kickoff return seemed to take the air out of Crespi's wings. The Celts went three-and-out, and St. Bonaventure then drove 61 yards on 10 plays for a touchdown, converted two fourth downs before Tieler Souza scored on a 13-yard pass to put St. Bonaventure ahead 28-21.
gerry.gittelson@dailynews.com
Crespi has scored a couple of touchdowns and leads favored St. Bonaventure 14-7 at halftime.
Crespi failed to record a first down on its first two possession, but then auarterback Bryan Bennett got hot. He hit Blake Stanton on a 46-yard touchdown pass to forge a 7-7 tie, then connected with Pierce Richardson a 9-yard touchdown with five seconds remaining in the half to give Crespi a 14-7 lead.
Bennett completed 8 of his first 9 passes and finished the first half 11 of 16 for 142 yards and two touchdowns.
Crespi's second touchdown drive in the final minutes of the first half was set up by Brad Lattanzio's fumble recovery on the Crespi 41. The Celts drove 59 yards on 10 plays, including four Bennett completions including the touchdown to Richardson.
St. Bonaventure had difficulty moving the ball but put together a 12-play, 82-yard touchdown drive late in the second quarter, culminating with a 10-yard scoring by Troy Hill.
Once St. Bonaventure scored, the Seraphs failed to cross midfield again in the first half.
-- Gerry Gittelson
St. Bonaventure is playing tough defense against the Celts, who trail 7-0 on a 10-yard TD run by Troy Hill.
-- Gerry Gittelson
Big game here at Crespi in Encino, where the Celts play host to national power St. Bonaventure in a showdown that could give Crespi a world of confidence if it somehow manages to upset the Seraphs, ranked No. 1 in the Northern Division, No. 1 in the state by Cal Hi Sports and No. 16 in the nation by USA Today.
Here's a little scuttlebutt: safety Kevin WIlliams, who just rejoined the team after leaving during the summer to concentrate on baseball, is not just suiting up -- he is starting tonight.
WIll update when I can ...
-- Gerry Gittelson
I wonder if the great Russell White is showing up to Crespi's alumni football banquet tonight prior to the Celts' much-anticipated showdown against visiting St. Bonaventure at 7:30?
Crespi (2-1), the last local team to defeat St. Bonventure (in 2007), is coming off a loss to Servite last week. St. Bonaventure (3-0), ranked No. 16 in the nation by USA Today, has won two consecutive Northern Division titles and two consecutive CIF State Div. III titles.
-- Gerry Gittelson
On your mark, get set and think about what might have happened until next Wednesday.
The anticipation for the Foothill League boys' varsity race Thursday was unbelievable. So many storylines and possible scenarios, yet no results to sort them all out.
There were races run at Central Park -- congratulations to Golden Valley freshman Juan David Garcia and Saugus sophomore Emily McCarty on winning the frosh/soph competitions -- but not the ones people have been talking about since the end of track season.
So, all of the Santa Clarita Valley running community will sit and wait until 4 p.m. Wednesday when Valencia's Falco DiGiallonardo, Golden Valley's Seth Totten, Canyon's Thomas McGuan, Hart's Sam Peckham and Saugus' Robert Pion line up again to lead their teams for the Foothill boys' varsity race 2.0.
As for DiGiallonardo, he and the rest of the Vikings will travel Saturday to the Bell-Jeff Invitational at Griffith Park/Greek Theatre. DiGiallonardo will get a shot to race Loyola's Elias Gedyon in what should be an impressive showdown.
It will also be quite interesting to see what the Saugus girls' varsity lineup looks like Wednesday with the McQuaid Invitational in New York looming three days later.
As for the limited action that did take place Thursday, here is a quick breakdown:
Boys' frosh/soph -- Saugus 5-0, Golden Valley 4-1, Hart 3-2, Valencia 2-3, West Ranch 1-4, Canyon 0-5. Saugus defeated Golden Valley 25-32.
Juan David Garcia (Golden Valley) 17:20, A.J. Yarnell (Saugus) 17:25, Joshua Sherfey (West Ranch) 17:37
Girls' frosh/soph -- Saugus 5-0, Canyon 4-1, Valencia 3-2, Hart 2-3, Golden Valley 1-4, West Ranch 0-5. Saugus defeated the entire field 15-40.
Emily McCarty (Saugus) 19:03, Jenay Jauregui (Saugus) 19:14, Kaylie Fisher (Saugus) 20:48, Kathryn Huntington (Saugus) 21:00, Francesca Bosnoyan (Saugus) 21:06.
Any team has the right to be intimidated by two-time Northern Division/CIF State Div. III champion St. Bonaventure of Ventura, including top programs from the Valley areas such as Oaks Christian of Westlake Village, Moorpark, Hart of Newhall, Westlake and Newbury Park - all of which have lost by wide margins to the Seraphs over the past few seasons.
Crespi (2-1), which plays host to St. Bonaventure (3-0) on Friday at 7;30 p.m., is on that list, too, but the Celts hold the distinction of being the last local program to defeat St. Bonaventure back in 2007. Crespi has also taken its lumps, including a 31-14 loss last season that gave St. Bonaventure a 4-1 series advantage.
Since 2004, St. Bonaventure is 68-5, including an 18-3 record against Valley-area opponents, and the Seraphs have won eight section titles over the past 10 years. This season, the Seraphs are No. 1 in the Northern Division - when have they not been? - and No. 1 in the state, according to Cal-Hi Sports. USA Today has them No. 16 in the nation.
Teams with championship aspirations love to play St. Bonaventure - except in the playoffs, of course - because there is no better measuring stick to figure out where you are and where you need to be.
That's the way Crespi sees things. The Celts are 13-point underdogs on Calpreps.com, and they're OK with that. They're not willing to concede anything, and they would enjoy nothing more than an upset victory, but either way the outcome Friday should prove telling.
"It's always good to play St. Bonaventure because they're a great team and will give you a fight every time," Crespi lineman Hroniss Grasu said. "I obviously hope we don't lose, but if we do we will see our mistakes on film the next day and improve from there.
"If we win, it will be big because St. Bonnie is one of the top schools in the state, so getting on them is big."
The Friday showdown comes one week after Crespi fell 38-28 to Servite after falling behind by 31 points in the first half. The fact Crespi came back strong in the second half last week makes coach Jeremiah Ross believe the Celts are on the right track.
"This is going to be a great opportunity because last week we kind out found out about ourselves, so there is no reason to doubt ourselves anymore," Ross said. "Sometimes a loss is beneficial. Had we squeezed out a win against Servite, it might not have registered as much."
St. Bonaventure has won a lot more games through the years than Servite.
"I remember one of the times we played them, St. Bonnie was like 89-4 or some ridiculous number like that," Ross said. "They're not used to losing. You have to play perfect, or more, against them, and our kids are excited about that. It's going to be a great opportunity. It's going to be fun to compete against them."
Meanwhile, the loss to Crespi in 2007 remains fresh in St. Bonaventure's mind, particularly coach Todd Therrien.
"This is a big-time game. Crespi is very talented and very well-coached," Therrien said. "They have a lot of weapons."
Therrien said the key to St. Bonaventure's success is parental involvement and has nothing to do with X's and O's.
"We might have the best parental support in American," Therrien said. "We get 30 or 40 or 50 parents just at practice. They cook for the team, they give them a bag lunch with chips and cookies on the bus ride home after games. They're just awesome. It's what we call 'Seraphs family.'"
St. Bonaventure's top players are quarterback Logan Meyer, who passed for 312 yards and three touchdowns last week, along with running back Devon Blackledge, linebacker Dylan Davis and defensive back Troy Hill.
Crespi also has a top quarterback in Oregon-bound Bryan Bennett. Key teammates include running back Brad Lattanzio, linemen Grasu and Ben Loth, tight end Pierce Richardson, receivers Blake Stanton and Devin Lucien and , defensive lineman Reggie Coates.
"It's going to be a good fight," Lattanzio said. "We love playing good teams. We want to play the best to get ready for the playoffs."
-- Gerry Gittelson
FIVE TO WATCH
All games Friday
ST. BONAVENTURE (3-0) at CRESPI (2-1), 7:30 p.m. - Crespi needs to hold down QB Logan Meyer, who passed for 312 yards and three TDs last week.
ALEMANY (2-1) at TAFT (1-1), 7 p.m. - Who rushes for more yards: Alemany's Malcolm Marable or Taft's D.J. Morgan?
HART (2-1) vs. WESTLAKE (2-0) at College of the Canyons, 7:30 p.m. - It will be surprising if teams don't combine for at least 10 TDs.
NOTRE DAME (2-1) at BIRMINGHAM (0-3), 7:30 p.m. - Birmingham presumably focused on defense this week. Otherwise, it could be long night.
SAUGUS (1-1) at NEWBURY PARK (3-0), 7 p.m. - Key for injury-strapped Saugus is to establish the run.
-- Gerry Gittelson
With eight regular-season games remaining, Ryan Kasdorf needs 450 yards passing to move to No. 1 on Notre Dame's all-time career passing yardage list. Here is the top 10:
1. Garrett Green, 2003-05, 4,378
2. Ryan Kasdorf, 08-present, 3,929
3. Dayne Crist, 05-07, 3,815
4. Ryan Browne, 93 95, 3,709
5. Steve Cottrell, 77-79, 2,871
6. Phil Beckmann, 98-01, 2,655
7. Jabbar Craigwell, 91-93, 2,319
8. Morgan Shephard, 86-87, 2,257
9. Greg Andrachick, 88-89, 2,218
10. David DeMartinis, 96-97, 2,149
-- Gerry Gittelson
Friday
NONLEAGUE
Quartz Hill at Barstow, 7:00pm
Beverly Hills vs. West Ranch at Valencia HS, 7:00pm
Vasquez at California City, 7:00pm
Golden Valley at Camarillo, 7:00pm
Thousand Oaks at Canyon, 7:00pm
Carpinteria vs. Grace Brethren at Moorpark College, 7:30pm
Calabasas at Channel Islands, 7:00pm
Littlerock at Duarte, 7:00pm
Hart vs. Westlake at College of Canyons, 7:30pm
Harvard-Westlake at Rosemead, 7:00pm
Sultana at Knight, 7:00pm
Crescenta Valley at La Canada, 7:00pm
Oak Hills at Lancaster, 7:00pm
Montclair Prep vs. St. Anthony at Clark Field (Long Beach), 7:00pm
Saugus at Newbury Park, 7:00pm
Valencia at Palmdale, 7:00pm
Agoura at Rio Mesa, 7:00pm
San Marino vs. Hoover at Glendale HS, 7:00pm
Highland at Serrano, 7:00pm
St. Bonaventure at Crespi, 7:30pm
St. Francis at Burroughs, 7:00pm
Paraclete at St. Paul, 7:30pm
Upland vs. Eastside at Antelope Valley HS, 7:00pm
Royal at Ventura, 7:00pm
Villanova Prep at Viewpoint, 3:30pm
Village Christian at Bernstein, 7:00pm
Notre Dame at Birmingham, 7:30pm
Chaminade at Fairfax, 7:00pm
Morningside vs. Panorama at Coleman Stadium (Inglewood), 7:00pm
Alemany at Taft, 7:00pm
Van Nuys at Belmont, 7:00pm
Chatsworth at Reseda, 7:00pm
North Hollywood at Cleveland, 7:00pm
Bell at Eagle Rock, 4:00pm
Poly at Granada Hills, 7:00pm
Grant at Hollywood, 7:00pm
University at Kennedy, 7:00pm
Arleta at Monroe, 7:00pm
Banning at San Fernando, 7:00pm
Sylmar at El Camino Real, 7:00pm
Marshall at Verdugo Hills, 7:00pm
Saturday
NONLEAGUE
Flintridge Prep vs. Campbell Hall at Occidental College, 7:00pm
Frazier Mountain vs. Bell-Jeff at Burroughs HS, 7:00pm
Desert at Los Angeles Baptist, 1:00pm
St. Genevieve at Malibu, 2:00pm
Rosamond vs. Desert Christian at Knight HS, 7:00pm
Sierra Canyon vs. Pasadena Poly at Granada Hills HS, 7:00pm
Boy, Antonio Bray is in the news again, and this time it's not good. Turns out, according to an L.A. Times Blog, his ineligibility from last season stretched to Sept. 12, one day after Arleta's first victory, causing a forfeit.
Arleta is planning to appeal.
-- Gerry Gittelson
After quitting Crespi High of Encino's football team this past summer to concentrate on baseball, Kevin Williams has changed his mind.
One of the San Fernando Valley's top defensive backs, Williams has returned just in time for a much-anticipated showdown Friday against national power St. Bonaventure of Ventura.
"I feel pretty good. I missed playing football and missed playing with my teammates and my friends," Williams said. "I'm trying to get all the schemes down, and I am going to do my best."
Crespi coach Jeremiah Ross had the seniors vote on letting Williams return, and it was unanimous.
"Of course it was unanimous. Kevin is a big part of this team, he's a great person, and we need him," offensive lineman Hroniss Grasu said. "I think after our first game Kevin just realized how much he missed football."
As a junior last season, Williams totaled 47 tackles, one interception and one sack in eight games. In baseball, he batted .312 with two home runs and 24 RBIs as a second baseman to help Crespi win the Southern Section Div. III championship, and he has been offered baseball scholarships by USC, UCLA and Fresno State.
"I'm extremely happy to have Kevin back," Ross said. "Ultimately, I left the decision up the seniors, but I love having him back, too."
In other Crespi football news, Pierce Richardson, a heavily recruited tight end who has been out one game with a concussion, has returned. The 6-foot-4, 220-pound senior has offers from Iowa State, New Mexico State, San Diego State, Utah State and Wyoming.
-- Gerry Gittelson
Lucky Radley, a top linebacker/running back at Taft of Woodland Hills, has been forced by the City Section to sit out the first four football games of the season because of transfer restrictions, and he does not like playing the waiting game. But considering Radley's history - he played at Crespi as a sophomore but then got into trouble, transferred briefly to Taft but was deemed ineligible, then transferred to Agoura last season before transferring once again to Taft - Radley is willing to go with the flow.
"It's tough, but it could have been worse. I'll get through it," Radley said. "I want to be a leader, but obviously right now I'm limited."
Taft athletic director Mark Drucker was surprised by the ruling, saying Radley should have been cleared right away instead of being forced to a month.
"As an athletic director, it's all about paperwork, and you submit everything there is to submit, and then it's out of your hands," Drucker said.
Another football player yet to be cleared is Mohammad Roknipour, a promising junior kicker at Canyon who arrived last winter from Iran and has been deemed ineligible by the Southern Section because he does meet the criteria for an exchange student, Canyon coach Chris Varner said.
An appeals hearing is scheduled for Oct. 8, and Varner said he would be shocked - and livid - if Roknipour is not cleared.
"He better pass or lawyers will be involved. It will be real trouble for the CIF if they deny him," Varner said.
-- Gerry Gittelson
Chaminade of West Hills' football team is off to a 2-0 start, but blazing-fast Brando Tessar, a three-year starter who is the Eagles' top receiver, has yet to catch a touchdown pass.
"That's OK. I know my time will come," said Tessar, who has four receptions. "We're trying to build up the confidence of the other receivers, and I've also been playing a lot of defense."
-- Gerry Gittelson
Alan Eberhart, the new football coach at Glendale after a long tenure at Crescenta Valley ended in 2006, is 0-2 but is hoping to get the monkey off his back tonight against visiting South Pasadena (0-2).
South Pasadena is coming off a loss to Hoover of Glendale that broke Hoover's 21-game losing streak.
"If Hoover beat South Pasadena, then if we can't beat South Pasadena we're in trouble," Eberhart said.
-- Gerry Gittelson
The football talent is down in the Foothill League this year, and one of the reasons is several players from Santa Clarita play at state power Notre Dame in Sherman Oaks, including quarterback Ryan Kasdorf, the reigning Gatorade state player of the year who transferred from Canyon after his freshman season. Other starters are lineman Tyler Sulka and receiver/defensive back Bryan Ruballo.
-- Gerry Gittelson
Ty Detmer, a former Heisman Trophy winner and two-time All-American quarterback at BYU who played 14 years in the NFL, has remained close friends with College of the Canyons coach Garett Tujague, who blocked for Detmer at BYU.
Detmer is scheduled to make a speech Sunday at 4:30 p.m. about "excellence in sports and excellence in life" at a church in Canyon Country. The public is welcome, and there is no cost. Information: (661) 645-2860.
-- Gerry Gittelson
15 teams are entered for the Simi Valley tournament Dec. 1-5
The tournament needs one more team.
Call Christian Aurand to get in. 805-338-1030
Here are the teams scheduled to participate so far:
Simi Valley, Camarillo, Golden Valley, Saugus, Newbury Park, Burroughs, Valencia, Knight, Rio Mesa, El Camino Real, Dos Pueblos, Fresno Clovis East, Ventura, Westlake and San Fernando.
Defensive lineman/tight end Alani Fua of Oaks Christian of Westlake Village and quarterback Jake Heaps of Skyline (Wash.) are going to be teammates next season at BYU, but that did not mean Fua had to be nice to Heaps in Oaks Christian's 28-25 victory Friday in Seattle.
In fact, Fua was anything but. He sacked Heaps four times and caused two fumbles, totaling a career-best 15 tackles (12 unassisted), while also scoring on touchdown receptions of 24 and 25 yards in a monumental victory in a showdown between nationally ranked teams.
"I guess it was my best game of the season. Hopefully, I'll have some more like that," Fua said. "It was fun to play a TV game out of state, and I think the whole experience made us closer as a team."
Here's a head scratcher, though: Despite it being perhaps Oaks Christian's most significant regular-season win in school history (except for defeating St. Bonaventure by 46 points in 2005), the Lions moved down in USA Today's national rankings from No. 6 to No. 8.
In other Oaks Christian news, defensive lineman Cassius Marsh tweaked his knee Friday and also has been battling the flu, but he is not expected to miss a game, especially with Oaks Christian idle this week.
-- Gerry Gittelson
Antonio Bray is off to a fast start at Arleta. In a 42-21 victory Friday over Panorama, he touched the ball just three times but scored two touchdowns, including a 90-yard run, and finished with 135 yards rushing and two touchdowns on three carries. The problem was, on the one carry Bray did not score a touchdown, he fumbled, and hard-nosed coach Jeff Engilman put him on the bench for a while.
"No hard feelings," said Bray, who has rushed for 237 yards and four touchdowns in two games.
Or, as Engilman put it: "The only one whose feelings matter is me."
Arleta is Bray's third school in three years after stops at Canyon and Alemany of Mission Hills.
"It's going great at Arleta. I think this team is as good as any other team," Bray said. "When I got here, I didn't think it was going to be like this, but this is a pretty good football team."
-- Gerry Gittelson
Canyon running back/defensive back Tyler Miller suffered a concussion Friday at Highland of Palmdale and was air lifted to the hospital - forcing a 45-minute delay - but coach Chris Varner said it was for precautionary reasons and that Miller is OK. Miller is expected back soon.
Also injured Friday was receiver/defensive back Cole Fairbanks, who dislocated his shoulder. He should be out for two weeks.
-- Gerry Gittelson
Alex Davidians, a linebacker at Bell-Jeff of Burbank, has 35 tackles over the past two games, including 18 against Malibu last week. The 5-foot-9, 185-pounder is averaging 15.3 tackles. Teammate Micah Shirley has 23 receptions for 373 yards and five touchdowns, and he also has three interceptions.
-- Gerry Gittelson
After defeating North Hollywood 40-0 last week, Sylmar (1-1) should expect a tougher time Friday at El Camino Real (2-0) of Woodland Hills, coming off a shocking opening victory over Hart, followed by a 50-7 victory over Contreras of Los Angeles.
"This is definitely going to be a tough game," Sylmar coach London Woodfin said. "It's got to come down to defense. El Camino Real has some good running backs, so if we don't make plays it's going to be a long night."
Sylmar's top defensive player is defensive lineman DeAndre Roberts.
"He just dominates the line of scrimmage," Woodfin said,
-- Gerry Gittelson
Every time Palmdale's coveted defensive back Josh Shaw goes on an official recruiting trip, that school is his favorite of the week. He just returned from a visit to the University of Florida, and he said he thoroughly enjoyed - just like he loved Ohio State the week before.
"I just fell in love with Florida," Shaw said.
One piece of news about Shaw's recruiting: He has ruled out LSU and has cancelled a recruiting visit there. He still plans to visit Notre Dame, Michigan and Oklahoma, and remains quite interested in USC, which happens to be playing at Notre Dame on the weekend he is visiting South Bend, Ind. He also has taken an unofficial visit to Washington.
One of things Shaw has enjoyed during the recruiting trips is the fine dining.
"Oh, they feed you really well and take you to restaurants - usually two per day," Shaw said. "Me, I'm a big fan of bar-b-que, so that's my favorite."
-- Gerry Gittelson
First round matchups for the Holiday Hardwood Invitational at Oaks Christian of Westlake Village.
In bracket order, Saturday Dec. 26
Sacramento High vs. Blair of Pasadena, 4:30 p.m.
Colony of Ontario vs. Pasadena, 1:30 p.m.
Horizon of San Diego vs. Oaks Christian, 7:30 p.m.
El Camino Real of Woodland Hills vs. Loyola of Los Angeles, 3 p.m.
Santa monica vs. Alemany of Mission Hills, 12 p.m.
Sheldon of Sacramento vs. Etiwanda, 6 p.m.
Thousand Oaks vs. Cleveland of Reseda, 10:30 a.m.
Sierra Canyon of Chatsworth vs. Salesian of Richmond, 9 p.m.
twitter.com/dnpreps
Troy Best is the new girls' basketball coach at Santa Clarita Christian. He previously coached at Golden Valley and Canyon.
-- Gerry Gittelson
Before the season, I remember joking with Palmdale coach Jeff Williams that no less than six of the league's eight teams were well capable of finishing in last place.
Maybe it was not such a joke. The league may never again be among the Southland's strongest leagues like it was back back in the 1980s and early 1990s, but this year most Golden League teams are "rebuilding," to put it nicely.
Consider this: Heading into Week Three, the league has a combined record of 3-14, and every team has lost at least once.
-- Gerry Gittelson
Hart took a long road trip Thursday up the coast to Santa Maria for a football game at Righetti, and about halfway one of team buses broke down.
"It was a little hectic," coach Mike Herrington said. "I had to put the starters on one bus, and I waited behind with the others for another bus to come, so we ended up barely making it to the game on time."
But things worked out because the breakdown happened to occur at an exit right at the beach.
"The kids got out and spent an hour and a half on the beach instead of sitting in a hot bus," Herrington said.
Plus, Hart won 27-13, giving the Indians (2-1) two victories in a row heading into a showdown Friday against visiting Westlake (2-0) at College of the Canyons.
-- Gerry Gittelson
It was a good night for steaks Friday. Not only did Oaks Christian of Westlake Village extend the area's longest winning streak to 24 with a 28-25 victory at Skyline (Wash.), but Hoover of Glendale broke the area's longest losing streak of 21 by defeating South Pasadena 16-13.
Hoover is 2-36 over the past 38 games.
Meantime, Van Nuys, 4-56-1 over the past 61 games, has lost 16 in a row, but the Wolves nearly pulled off an overtime victory Friday, falling 14-8 to visiting Monroe of North Hills.
Van Nuys lost a fumble on the 1 with just over one minute remaining in regulation and also missed a potential winning field goal in overtime.
The next morning, first-year coach Sean Pollard was so hoarse he could barely speak.
"The kids played their hearts and left it all out on the field," Pollard said. "We should have had that one. They got a taste, and they're hungry. They're working hard, and you know what? I don't think I've ever coached harder in my life, either."
-- Gerry Gittelson
Rarely do you see a running back score on three spectacular touchdown runs in the same game, especially against a high-powered opponent like Notre Dame of Sherman Oaks, but D.J. Morgan of visiting Taft of Woodland Hills did it Friday in a 45-27 loss.
The USC-bound Morgan scored on runs of 60, 41 and 69 yards, zig-zagging his way through Notre Dame's defense, breaking tackles and faking out several defenders on every touchdown.
Most amazing was the 41-yarder, which started with an errant snap over quarterback Bam Goodall's head. Morgan scooped up the football and somehow made it past 11 defenders into the end zone.
"The odds of someone scoring on a play like that have got to be a million-to-one," Taft coach Matt Kerstetter said.
Morgan finished with 235 yards on 18 carries.
-- Gerry Gittelson
It's back to basics and fundamentals at Reseda after a 40-38 home loss to neighborhood rival Cleveland of Reseda, as Cleveland's Collins Holliday rushed for 213 yards and three TDs on nine carries.
"He's a good running back, well-built with a lot of speed, but we just could not tackle," Reseda coach Alonso Arreola said. "They completed one pass all night, but we could not stop the run."
Reseda also needs to work on special teams. The Regents missed three PATs - and that stings when you lose by two points.
"Those three misses came back to bite us," Arreola said.
-- Gerry Gittelson
Who knows what Crespi of Encino was thinking Friday after falling behind by 31 points in the first half against Servite of Anaheim, but at least the Celts made a game of it in the second half of a 38-28 loss.
"We came out timid in the first half and did not execute," Crespi receiver/defensive back Blake Stanton said. "In the second half, we did what we had to do. I think with our effort in the second half, we could have beaten them if we had more time, but we should have executed from the get-go."
-- Gerry Gittelson
School spirit is sky-high at Chaminade of West Hills under new coach Ed Croson. The Eagles are 2-0 after going 3-14 over the previous 17 games, including 2-9 last season.
"They made a new rule this year that you can wear an orange shirt on Fridays instead of the school uniform, and pretty much the whole school wears orange," Chaminade kicker Matt Goudis said. "It feels good because all of sudden football games are a big thing on campus again."
-- Gerry Gittelson
It was difficult enough Friday for Montclair Prep of Panorama City to lose its home opener 50-18 to Chadwick of Palos Verdes at Pierce College, but the Mounties, 0-2 since switching back to 11-man football from eight-man, suffered another setback when it was discovered someone broke into their locker room and stole several cell phones and other items.
-- Gerry Gittelson
DAILY NEWS TOP 10 RANKINGS
1. Oaks Christian (3-0) - Standing tall after monumental victory over national power Skyline (Wash.)
2. Moorpark (3-0) - Is this the year of the Big Green Machine?
3. Notre Dame (2-1) - Totaled 536 yards in 45-27 victory over Taft
4. Crespi (2-1) - If Celts thought Servite was tough, just wait 'til they get a load of St. Bonaventure
5. Alemany (2-1) - Should have easy time at Harvard-Westlake, but then comes Crespi, Bishop Amat
6. Valencia (2-0) - Few can match Valencia's offensive firepower featuring QB Alex Bishop and RB Steven Manfro
7. Westlake (2-0) - After defeating Saugus, Warriors to return to Santa Clarita for showdown vs. Hart
8. Taft (1-1) - Mammoth OL features 308-pound Brandon Mitchell and 285-pound Antwuan Woods.
9. Newbury Park (2-0) - Final nonleague tuneup vs. Saugus
10. Hart (2-1) - C.J. Reyes is among area's hottest QBs
OTHERS: Saugus (1-1); St. Francis (2-0), Arleta (2-0); Chaminade (2-0), San Fernando (2-0); Palmdale (1-1).
It's only September, but there were so many success stories Saturday night at Woodbridge, a mere top 10 performance list would not be a fitting tribute to the local athletes who shined so bright under the lights in Irvine.
So, in attempt to capture the entire scope of the 29th annual event, what better way than to cover Woodbridge from A to Z.
A is for Adolfo Camarillo, which demonstrated it belonged with the heavyweights in the boys' sweepstakes race, finishing seventh, second among local teams behind Royal of Simi Valley. Daniel Stebbings (15:01) and Erik Pinuelas (15:02) were huge for the Scorpions in supporting Heyden Wooff.
B is for bright lights. Once again, the night atmosphere at Woodbridge was electric, and the stars shined at one of the state's premier competitions, which showcased 8,686 runners from the first race to the last Saturday.
C is for Camille Chapus. After winning the sophomore class race Sept. 11 at the Seaside Invitational in Ventura, the Harvard-Westlake of Studio City standout captured the Div. II girls' varsity race in 17:21, which would've won the rated race and finished in the top 20 in the sweepstakes race.
D is for deliver. Some local athletes and teams did, others didn't Saturday on one of the fastest courses in the state. The good news is Southern Section and state championships aren't based on what happens at Woodbridge, but rather Mt. SAC and Woodward Park, which means teams will be back at practice Monday preparing for their next race.
E is for Emily McCarty. The Saugus sophomore ran 17:58 to place fifth in the Div. I girls' varsity race, but it would've been the Centurions' No. 5 time in the sweepstakes race, behind Kaylin Mahoney, Karis Frankian, Stephanie Bulder and Danielle Hernando.
F is for frightening. As in, after looking at the times from Woodbridge, it's frightening how fast some of the area's top athletes could run in November, providing they can stay healthy.
G is for gap. Of the 21 teams entered in the girls' sweepstakes race, only one -- Arcadia -- had a larger gap from its first to fifth runner than Simi Valley, which had a margin of 2:56 between senior Liberty Miller and freshman Hanna Jeters. If the Pioneers want to make a run at the Div. II state meet, that margin will need to close substantially.
H is for Heyden Wooff. The Camarillo junior took advantage of the faster course to run 14:08, a 30-second improvement off last year's sophomore class record and good for the No. 2 time in meet history.
I is for incredible. That's the only way to describe Sarah Andrews of The Woodlands, Texas, who defeated a quality field of California runners by 36 seconds en route to repeating as champion in a meet-record 16:01.
J is for junior. Four of the top five boys in the sweepstakes race were 11th-graders -- led by Camarillo's Heyden Wooff -- and that doesn't even include Loyola's Elias Gedyon, who dominated the competition earlier Saturday at the Mt. Carmel Invitational in San Diego. Although the top two girls in the sweepstakes race were seniors, 11 juniors finished among the top 16, led by a third-place effort from Saugus' Kaylin Mahoney.
K is for Karis Frankian. Despite running ill, the Saugus sophomore followed her victory Sept. 12 at the Great Cow Invitational by taking seventh in 16:50, making her the top 10th-grader in the field by more than 30 seconds.
L is for Liberty Miller. And there was justice for the Simi Valley senior in her final Woodbridge appearance, as she held off a strong charge down the stretch by Saugus' Kaylin Mahoney to take second in 16:37, making her the second Pioneers runner to break 17 minutes, following Anna Sperry.
Continue reading CROSS COUNTRY: Woodbridge Classic from A to Z.
With so much star power on both sides, the high school football showdown Friday between Notre Dame of Sherman Oaks and Taft of Woodland Hills was like a highlight waiting to happen.
Every time you looked up, someone was making an incredible touchdown run or a beautiful long pass play or a crunching hit.
This was a spectacle that saw a captive audience get their eight bucks worth, but the result was not surprising, as favored Notre Dame (2-1) held off the visiting Toreadors (1-1) in a 45-27 nonleague victory.
Taft's D.J. Morgan rushed for 235 yards on 19 carries and scored on runs of 60, 44 and 69 yards. Notre Dame's Kenny Boggs ran for 221 yards on 26 carries and scored four touchdowns, including a 47-yarder. And Notre Dame's Ryan Kasdorf completed 19 of 24 passes for 194 yards and a touchdown, and he also scored on a 41-yard run.
Notre Dame finished with 536 yards, and Taft totaled 430.
"It was definitely an exciting game," Kasdorf said. "D.J. Morgan, he is an amazing running back. Every time you think you have him, he breaks loose. Just a tremendous athlete."
Morgan took the loss hard, and he was exhausted.
"We gave it our all. I think we earned a little respect tonight," Morgan said.
Notre Dame lineman Ben Gottschalk agreed.
"Respect? Definitely," Gottschalk said. "It was fun playing a game like this."
Lots of big plays made the first half entertaining -- more so for Notre Dame, which led 35-14 at the break.
Kasdorf completed 13 of 15 in the first half for 146 yards, including a 21-yard touchdown to a wide-open Tyler Di Vincenzo. Kasdorf also scored on a 41-yard touchdown and Boggs rushed for 97 yards and three touchdowns.
Morgan was held in check for most of the first half, totaling just 18 yards over his first six carries, but that would not last forever. The USC-bound senior scored on an electrifying 60-yard run in which he twice reversed field and faked out five defenders to pull within 28-14 with just over three minutes remaining in the half.
That two-touchdown deficit seemed managable the way things were going -- the teams would combine for 518 yards (308 by Notre Dame) in the first half alone -- but then Boggs scored his third touchdown on a 15-yard run with 58 seconds remaining before the break to extend the lead back to 21.
Morgan was just getting warmed up. In the third quarter, he scored on a 44-yard run on a broken play, and in the fourth quarter he scored on a 69-yard run -- again going sideline to sideline -- to cut the lead to 38-27.
Notre Dame answered, driving 72 yards on 11 plays, culminating on Boggs' 1-yard touchdown to push the advantage to 45-27.
For the second consecutive game, top linebacker Lucky Radley did not suit up for Taft while awaiting word on his eligibility after transferring from Agoura -- his third transfer since his sophomore season. Earlier in the day, the City Section ruled Radley must sit out Taft's first four games, so he is slated to return Oct. 8 at Serra of Gardena.
gerry.gittelson@dailynews.com
Taft 7-7-6-7 -- 27
ND 14-21-0-3 -- 45
T-Goodall 19 run (Ramirez kick)
ND - Di Vincenzo 21 pass from Kasdorf (Solis kick)
ND-Kasdorf 41 run (Solis kick)
ND-Boggs 1 run (Solis kick)
ND-Boggs 47 run (Solis kick)
T-Morgan 60 run (Ramirez kick)
ND-Boggs 15 run (Solis kick)
T-Morgan 44 run (kick failed)
ND - FG Solis 29
T-Morgan 69 run (Ramirez kick)
ND-Boggs 1 run (Solis kick)
Passing:
T-Goodall 10-23-134
ND-Kasdorf 19-24-194
Rushing:
T-Morgan 19-235
ND-Boggs 26-221
Receiving:
T-Robinson 4-56
ND-Thomas 8-70
O.C. intercepts pass in final minute at own 25-yard line, thwarting Skyline drive.
Skyline takes over at own 24-yard line, less than two minutes left, trailing O.C. 28-25.
Skyline scores touchdown and adds 2-point conversion with 3:31 remaining, pulling within 28-25.
O.C. has ball on its own 20-yard line, trying to run out clock.
Frank Koppenhauer only needed to complete five passes -- including two for touchdowns -- to lead the Hunters (3-0) to victory over the visiting Titans (0-2).
Koppenhauer went 5 of 8 for 110 yards -- all in the first half -- and threw touchdown passes to Alex Rivera and Cristian Torres.
Jose Gonzalez scored twice for Canoga Park, on an 81-yard kickoff return and when he returned a fumble 26 yards for a touchdown.
Rocky Moore threw three touchdown passes to lead the visiting Spartans (1-0) to the victory.
La Canada was playing its first game of the season as last week's opener was postponed by the Station Fire.
Don O'Donnell opened the scoring for La Canada with a 1-yard run early in the first quarter, set up by an 86-yard pass from Moore to Josh Hanson. Moore completed 10 of 16 passes for 284 yards.
Hanson caught a 90-yard touchdown pass from Moore in the third quarter. Hanson caught five passes for 218 yards and intercepted a pass by Moises Chavez late in the first half.
Daleet Sandhu led La Canada with 56 rushing yards and one touchdown on 18 carries. La Canada held Glendale (0-2) to 127 yards of offense.
Glendale's Chavez completed 8 of 16 attempts for 67 yards.
Malcolm Jones goes 48 yards on the first play of the fourth quarter, giving Oaks Christian a 28-17 lead against host Skyline in Sammamish, Wash.
No scoring in the third quarter.
Oaks Christian opens the fourth with the ball, third-and-1 at Skyline 48-yard line.
Bryan Choto
Bray finish
Arleta also did it through the air, as
Malcolm Thomas did all he could to keep the visiting Pythons competitive
Matt Rasmussen threw for two touchdowns and ran for another to lead the visiting Contenders (2-0) to the nonleague victory in a game that was stopped in the second quarter due to the 45-point mercy rule.
Rasmussen completed 3 of 4 passes for 106 yards, including a 40-yard touchdown pass to David Herman and a 62-yarder to Nick Wallin. Rasmussen rushed for 54 yards on three carries and scored on a 46-yard run for the first touchdown of the game.
Daniel Llorens and Alex Buenviaje added rushing touchdowns for Faith Baptist.
Lots of big plays made the first half entertaining -- more so for Notre Dame, which leads 35-14 at halftime.
Kasdorf completed 13 of 15 in the first half for 146 yards, including a 21-yard touchdown to a wide-open Tyler Di Vincenzo. Kasdorf also scored on a 41-yard touchdown and Kenny Boggs rushed for 97 yards and three touchdowns on 10 carries, as Notre Dame amassed 308 yards through two quarters.
D.J. Morgan was held in check for most of the first half, totaling just 18 yards over his first six carries, but Notre Dame could not keep him down forever. The USC-bound senior scored on an electrifying 60-yard run in which he twice reversed field and faked out five defenders to pull within 28-14.
That two-touchdown deficit seemed managable the way things were going -- the teams would combine for 518 yards in the first half alone -- but then Boggs scored his third touchdown on a 15-yard run with 58 seconds remaining before the break to extend the lead back to 21.
O.C. led 14-0 after the first quarter before Skyline scored 17 straight points to take the lead. The Lions responded with a touchdown to regain the lead.
Oaks Christian took an early 14-0 lead before host Skyline of Sammamish, Wash., rallied with 17 unanswered points to take a 17-14 lead late in the second quarter.
Dan Munyer, a top offensive and defensive lineman at Notre Dame, has committed to Colorado.
-- Gerry Gittelson
Talented but controversial linebacker Lucky Radley has been declared ineligible for the first four games at Taft of Woodland Hills -- his fourth stop in three years -- after transferring from Agoura last season.
According to Taft coach Matt Kerstetter, the reasoning by the City Section, which had declared Radley ineligible at Taft prior to his transfer to Agoura, is Radley should have been ineligible for four weeks last season at Agoura but was not.
The issue was whether Radley had been kicked out of Crespi during his sophomore year or had he left voluntarily. The City's finding was he left Crespi for disciplinary reasons.
"It doesn't make a lot of sense. We kind of got the short end of the stick," Kerstetter said.
Mean time, Taft plays at favored Notre Dame in Sherman Oaks tonight.
"I don't have a lot of time to worry about all this. I have to worry about the players I have right now," Kerstetter said.
-- Gerry Gittelson
If you're thinking of taking a quick flight to Seattle to catch the Oaks Christian-Skyline showdown between two nationally ranked teams, don't bother.
You're better off watching it on TV on ESPNU because the event is soldout, as all 5,200 tickets have been gone since Sept. 2, according to a story in USA Today.
-- Gerry Gittelson
Lucky Radley, a top Taft linebacker/running back, hasn't practiced for more than two weeks because of eligibility issues after transferring from Agoura, but he says he has been told a decision is expected today by the City Section on whether or not he will be cleared in time for tonight's showdown at Notre Dame.
-- Gerry Gittelson
Junior quarterback Adam Colman threw touchdown passes on four consecutive attempts and finished with more than 200 yards Thursday night as Burbank defeated San Gabriel 40-28 at Burroughs High.
Ulisses Ochoa rushed for 116 yards and two touchdowns and Leo Rodas added 101 rushing yards for Burbank (2-1), which stretched a 14-point halftime advantage into a 40-6 lead before San Gabriel (1-2) rallied against the Bulldogs reserves.
Burbank, which rebounded from a 17-14 overtime loss Sept. 11 to Chaminade of West Hills, received two interceptions from Ochoa and forced four turnovers.
VALENCIA -- Talk about doing it all.
Nick Isham of Westlake High put on a show Thursday in a 42-20 football victory over Saugus at College of the Canyons, completing 16 of 18 passes for 153 yards and four touchdowns, plus catching a couple of passes, scoring on a 75-yard interception return and making a few other key plays on defense.
Isham is only a junior but is making quite an impact. In two games, he has completed a remarkable 84 percent of his passes (21 for 25) for 288 yards and seven touchdowns.
Isham is also the punter, but he ran Westlake's offense so efficiently that he did not need to punt until the final minutes, booting a 36-yard after scooping an errant snap in the end zone.
Tavior Mowry added 100 yards on 12 carries and Nelson Spruce had six receptions for 79 yards, as Westlake broke a two-game series losing streak.
Big plays hurt Saugus in the first half.
Mowry's 40-yard run on Westlake's first play from scrimmage set up an 8-yard touchdown pass from Isham to Tre'shon Wilson. On Westlake's next possession, Isham hit Spruce on a 42-yard pass, and Wilson again cashed in with a 10-yard touchdown reception.
A big reason Saugus kept the score close in the first half was a 15-play, 80-yard scoring drive that gobbled nearly eight minutes, culminating on Zack Gauthier's 2-yard touchdown run.
Saugus also benefited from a couple of 51-yard punts by Manny Padron.
Besides the long scoring drive, Saugus totaled minus-3 yards on its three other first-half possesions, as Westlake outgained the Centurions 210-77 at the half.
Saugus finished with 251 total yards in a decisive loss for a team that has advanced to the Northern Division semifinals each of the past two seasons.
Gauthier rushed for 109 yards and two touchdowns in 28 carries and completed 12 of 19 passes for 111 yards.
Saugus safety Ryan Schaefer injured his arm in the first quarter and was taken to the hospital.
In the first half, Isham completed 8 of 9 for 69 yards and two touchdowns. He alternated at quarterback with Michael Bercovici and switched to receiver, catching two passes for 13 yards.
gerry.gittelson@dailynews.com
Beverly Hills Fall League schedule for Saturday Sept. 19
9am Monroe vs Venice
10am Oaks Christian vs Inglewood
11am St Paul vs Saugus
12pm Santa Monica vs Fairfax
**12pm Beverly Hills vs Harvard Westlake
**1pm Ventura vs Alemany
1pm Saugus vs Peninsula
2pm Alemany vs Bishop Montgomery
**3pm LACES vs Harvard Westlake
3pm Ventura vs Culver City
**4pm- Burroughs vs Chatsworth
4pm-Marlborough vs Buckley
**5pm- St Monica vs Marymount
Oaks Christian High of Westlake Village finally gets a chance to prove how good it really is Friday, as the high-powered Lions play at national power Skyline of Sammamish, Wash., in a much-anticipated football showdown televised live by ESPNU.
In the latest Maxpreps.com rankings, Oaks Christian (2-0) is ranked No. 1 in California and No. 7 in the nation, and Skyline (2-0) is No. 1 in Washington and No. 9 in the nation. Oaks Christian has won 23 in a row and six consecutive section championships, and Skyline has won 30 in a row and two consecutive state championships.
The knock every season on Oaks Christian, which has lost only 11 times in its 10-year history, is a soft schedule, so a victory over Skyline should go a long way in terms of legitimacy.
Oaks Christian quarterback Nick Montana, who has never lost since transferring from Concord De La Salle prior to his junior season, goes head to head against BYU-bound quarterback Jake Heaps.
Montana can hardly wait.
"We definitely have had this game marked on our schedule the whole year," Montana said. "Anytime you get a chance to play a nationally ranked team like Skyline, with all the success they've had, it goes a long way in terms of legitimacy. We're all just really excited because Skyline has won the state championship two years in a row and has gone undefeated two years in a row."
During Oaks Christian's 23-game winning streak, every victory has been by 11 points or more, so the players are thrilled with the prospect of facing an adversary that can punch back.
"I'm just really excited to see an opponent that can actually match up with the same talent we have," Oaks Christian defensive back Max Napolitano said. "So it will be interesting to see how good we really are. We want to prove ourselves by beating them."
According to Calpreps.com, Oaks Christian is a 1-point favorite.
Like many of Oaks Christian's top players, Napolitano is a bit irked about continuing whispers of his team bullying on lesser competition. On Friday, there will be no excuses - by either team.
"It's been frustrating because we know we're really good and that we can play with anyone. Now we can prove it," Napolitano said.
Perhaps the biggest surprise last week was Moorpark's 27-14 victory Saturday over Notre Dame, the Knights' first regular season since 2007.
Or was it? Notre Dame did not have much time to prepare after playing its opener the previous Monday in Texas, while Moorpark had eight days of preparation.
"We just came out ready to play and we wanted revenge because Notre Dame had beat us one point the year before," Moorpark kicker Stephen Picchini said. "So we wanted to win that game pretty bad."
Notre Dame quarterback Ryan Kasdorf believes an early season loss might have been just what his team needed after going undefeated last season only to fall in the second round of the playoffs.
"It was a good experience because we can learn from that loss, figure out what we did wrong, and correct our mistakes," Kasdorf said. "Last year, we did not know how to deal with something like this until the end of season. Yes, it was disappointing, but I'm pretty sure we're going to bounce back from this and move on."
-- Gerry Gittelson
National participation has never been higher in high school sports, particularly football, according to a news release Tuesday by the National Federation of State High School Associations. According to the survey, more than 7.5 million are participating in high school sports, including more than 1 million in football.
But in the Valley areas, there is a significant number of schools, large and small, that are suffering from dwindling participation - from public schools such as Antelope Valley and North Hollywood, which have been forced to cut its JV programs, to private schools such as Grace Brethren of Simi Valley and Flintridge Prep, which barely have enough players to practice 11-on-11 drills.
"I'm noticing across the board, especially at the smaller schools, that numbers are becoming a problem," Flintridge Prep coach Perry Skaggs said. "Football, quite frankly, is a dying sport except at schools that make athletics a priority like Oaks Christian. But for schools like us that allocate resources across the board, football just isn't a priority anymore. For whatever reason, the kids just don't want to play."
-- Gerry Gittelson
HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL THURSDAY
All games 7 p.m. unless noted
Birmingham (0-2) at Valencia (1-0), 7 p.m. - Birmingham is rebuilding under new coach Jim Rose, but the Patriots have a tough schedule as usual, and the Patriots do not figure to have an easy time at Valencia, one of the favorites to win the Northern Division.
Birmingham is coping without USC-bound RB Trajaun Briggs. The Patriots have a solid QB in Max Smith, who has passed for 450 yards in two games, along with junior RB Tashawn White and WR Davontae Perry-Brooks, a dangerous kick returner.
Valencia has a potent passing game with QB Alex Bishop and WRs Zach Tartabull and Brock Vereen, along with top junior RB Steven Manfro, who rushed for nearly 200 yards in an opening 38-36 victory over Thousand Oaks.
"I thought Alex Bishop did a terrific job last week. He made really good decisions," Valencia coach Larry Muir said.
Westlake (1-0) vs. Saugus (1-0), 7:30pm - Saugus has defeated Westlake twice in a row but is an underdog because of heavy graduation losses, combined with Westlake's impressive 48-26 opening victory over Righetti.
"Westlake should be the favorite," said Saugus coach Jason Bornn, whose Centurions opened with a 17-7 victory over Pasadena that was closer than expected.
Westlake, coming off a bye, has an exciting junior QB in Nick Isham, a dual threat who is equally impressive passing and scrambling. WR Nelson Spruce has five receptions for 233 yards and four TDs, including a 94-yarder.
Royal (1-0) at Chaminade (1-0) , 7:30pm -- Two teams hoping to make a turnaround under new coaches square off in what figures to be close game.
At Royal, the Kevin Flye era got off to a strong start, as the Highlanders jumped all over Golden Valley in 36-0 victory, holding the Grizzlies to 87 yards. Chaminade has welcomed back coach Ed Croson, who has returned after 10 seasons at Birmingham. The Eagles overcame six turnovers in a 17-14 overtime victory over Burbank.
Chaminade features top PK Matt Goudis, RB Tru Jarvis and WR/DB Brando Tessar.
Canyon (0-1) at Highland (0-1) - Both are trying to rebound from opening losses, as Highland lost 20-13 at Burroughs of Ridgecrest, while Canyon lost 43-7 at Bakersfield - the Cowboys' worst defeat since 2001.
"Our scrimmage was canceled, and I think that hurt us, but there are no excuses," Highland coach Randy Block said. "We have a new offensive line, a sophomore quarterback, and we're learning, so we're going to make mistakes."
Highland features TE Christian Thomas, one of the nation's top recruits who has been offered by USC and dozens of others. He had five receptions for 50 yards in the opener but did not score.
"We need Christian really badly - instead of five catches, we would rather he have 10," Block said.
OTHER GAMES
Agoura at Camarillo
Thousand Oaks at Buena
Eastside vs. West Ranch at Antelope Valley HS
Golden Valley vs. Santa Paula at Canyon HS
Hart at Righetti, 7:30pm
Rio Mesa at Newbury Park
San Gabriel vs. Burbank at Burroughs HS
Sierra Canyon at Viewpoin, 4 p.m.
Granada Hills at Grant
-- Gerry Gittelson
It is only September but Tuesday night's volleyball match between Harvard-Westlake of North Hollywood and Marymount of Los Angeles had a playoff type feel to it.
Behind 23 kills from Reseda resident Jennifer Bonilla and 21 kills from Sam Hirschmann, Marymount came away with a 25-19, 28-30, 28-26, 25-20 victory.
After splitting the first two games, Harvard-Westklake of North Hollywood had a golden opportunity to seize control in game three. The Wolverines led 22-17 but could not hold the lead or capitalize on three game points.
"We couldn't side out at the end," Harvard-Westlake coach Adam Black said. "That makes it real tough to win games and matches."
The Wolverines couldn't sustain any momentum in game four digging itself a 20-12 hole before climbing within three points but eventually losing the game and match.
"After battling so hard it didn't carry over," Black said. "We had a slight let down but we have to have that experience to get better when faced again with a similar situation."
The usually reserved Black was so irked in game four he broke his pen after smacking it on his diagram board.
UCLA-bound Meg Norton had 20 kills and three aces to lead Harvard-Westlake.
Kellie Barnum had 43 assists and Cal-bound Christina Higgins had 12 kills and four blocks.
"Losing game three definitely deflated us," Higgins said. "If we would have got that game we would have won the match. We made a lot of mistakes. They outplayed us."
Marymount improved to 2-0 including a huge victory last week against nationally ranked Mira Costa of Manhattan Beach.
The Wolverines dropped to 1-2 and travel to Redondo Union of Redondo beach Thursday before hosting Santa Barbara Tuesday at home.
Joey Ramirez, the head coach at Oak Park has resigned to take an assistant position at Ventura College.
Ramirez coached at Oak Park for four seasons.
He led the Eagles to the semifinals in 2008 where they almost pulled off an upset of Price of Los Angeles.
Taft of Woodland Hills picked up its fourth new player this week when sophomore Steven Jones transferred from Alemany of Mission Hills.
Jones was a part time starter for the Warriors last season and was going to be a huge part of the line-up this year.
"It is a big loss for us," Alemany coach Tray Meeks said. "We were looking forward to watching him grow but we wish him the best.
It is hard to say where Jones fits in at Taft as the Toreadors are loaded with Bryce Jones, De'Andre Daniels, Jordan Gathers, Brandon Perry, Sam Natt, Landon Drew, Pierson Williams, Spencer Dinwiddie and Khiry Williams.
One thing is for sure.
Coach Derrick Taylor has a full deck to play with as he tries and finds a way to beat nemesis Westchester of Los Angeles.
Jordan Brower, a top baseball baseball player at Newbury Park whom you might remember as the starting pitcher for Conejo Valley in the 2004 Little League World Series championship game in Williamsport, Pa., has accepted a Cal Poly SLO scholarship.
-- Gerry Gittelson
Josh Goossen-Brown, a first-team All-Southern Section and second-team Cal-Hi Sports all-state selection at Notre Dame High this past season, has taken his pitching talents to L.A. Valley College with plans still in place to eventually land a major-college scholarship.
-- Gerry Gittelson
Paraclete's defense is like a Desert Storm. The defending Mid Valley Division champion Spirits from Lancaster are coming off a 16-14 victory over Knight, a much larger school from the Golden League, as Knight was limited to 87 yards, including just 23 yards on 16 carries for Christian Bush -- not bad considering Bush had rushed for nearly 1,700 yards in 10 games last year.
When Knight scored a TD, it marked the first offensive touchdown against the Spirits since the first round of the playoffs last year.
Paraclete (2-0), led by linebacker Todd Davis and PK Kyle Steffes, has allowed an average of 134 yards per game.
-- Gerry Gittelson
Adam Speer, a former lineman at Chaminade and University of Oregon, has signed a United Football League contract with the San Francisco Redwoods with plans to try to hook up with an NFL team in December.
-- Gerry Gittelson
In honor of the 17th annual Seaside Invitational being held on Sept. 11, here are nine individuals and 11 additional performances that deserved to be recognized following their efforts Friday at San Buenaventura State Beach Park.
1. Falco DiGiallonardo, Valencia, Jr. -- One of the area's top 800- and 1,600-meter runners, he wants to be mentioned in the same sentence as Golden Valley's Seth Totten, Hart's Sam Peckham, Canyon's Thomas McGuan and any healthy runner at Saugus in the list of challengers for the Foothill League title. Well, he got their attention with his 15:37.81 on the 3.1-mile course, the fastest time of the day.
2. Jennifer Owen, West Ranch, Jr. -- Ship officials prohibited her from running on the track on the main deck during a recent two-week cruise to Alaska, but Owen showed no signs of rustiness as she handled a solid field en route to winning the junior race in 18:00.63. Owen was the only athlete who openly expressed regret about not being able to run against Saugus' Kaylin Mahoney and Stephanie Bulder, who are running Saturday in Cerritos. She'll get her chance in a few weeks.
3. Melissa Skiba, Oak Park, Sr. -- Her training regimen has become so impressive that she's not even training with her female teammates anymore, instead working out with the boys' cross country runners. She also separated herself from the pack of female challengers in the senior race, most notably La Reina's Sarah Pearson, to clock the fastest time of the day at 17:39.87 for her second victory in as many years.
4. Sarah Adams, Valencia, Jr. -- Perhaps the most impressive performance of the day in terms of time drop came from Adams, who was 37th in the sophomore race last year in 20 minutes, only to run 18:35.77 to take runner-up to Owen, which would've likely converted to a sub-18 time since Friday's 3.1-mile course ran a minimum of 30 seconds slower than last season.
5. Sam Peckham, Hart, Soph. -- After winning the freshman race last year, Peckham was challenged by a pair of Trabuco Hills runners, but held strong to prevail in 16:10.95 for the 13th-fastest time among all male runners.
6. Camille Chapus, Harvard-Westlake, Soph. -- Following a 12th-place finish at the Div. IV state meet last year and an impressive rookie campaign on the varsity soccer team, Chapus committed herself to more intense training during the summer and it showed, winning in her Seaside debut in 18:36.57. The daughter of former Alemany of Mission Hills standout Vickie Cook could be primed for a run at a state title this year.
7. Hayley Parkinson, Canyon, Sr. -- Proving there is life in the Foothill League outside of Saugus, Owen, Adams and Parkinson offered a glimpse of their talents Friday. Parkinson surged past West Ranch's Bailey Miller in the final 200 meters to take fourth behind Skiba, Pearson and Trabuco Hills' Kamilah Foley in 18:26.09 for the fifth-fastest time of the day.
8. Thomas McGuan, Canyon, Sr. -- McGuan closed the gap on Oxnard's Gustavo Mena, but ran out of room before the finish line, clocking 15:46.30 for the fifth-fastest time of the day. His effort helped Canyon post a team time of 81:38, second only to Trabuco Hills (79:38).
9. Kegan Marsh, Quartz Hill, Soph. -- On a day when there wasn't much to cheer about for the Antelope Valley area schools, Marsh's fourth-place mark of 16:27.69 ranked him 25th among all male performers.
Continue reading CROSS COUNTRY: Honoring the best of 9/11 at Seaside Invitational.
Falling behind by seven points in the first quarter Friday against underdog Birmingham of Lake Balboa was just the wake-up call Crespi of Encino needed. The Celts responded by reeling off six consecutive touchdowns in a 49-14 nonleague football victory at Birmingham.
After failing to make the playoffs last year by losing its final three games, Crespi means business this season. The Celts (2-0) have scored 107 points in two games heading into a showdown this coming Friday against Servite of Anaheim at Cerritos College.
"I think we came ready to play, but we gave up a few big plays before we finally jelled in the second quarter and got connected," Crespi receiver Blake Stanton said.
Bryan Bennett completed 16 of 30 passes for 183 yards and two touchdowns, and he also scored on a 56-yard run.
"Everyone had a great game, but Bryan was the leader, and he put it all together," Stanton said.
After going three-and-out on its first possession, Birmingham (0-2) put quite a scare into Crespi by scoring two quick touchdowns for a 14-7 lead.
.
But it was all Crespi from that point.
Birmingham was limited to 171 yards (33 rushing), Smith (10 of 23, 138 yards) was sacked five times, and he also had two punts blocked.
It does not get easier for Birmingham, which has won four City titles over the past six seasons but is rebuilding this year because only a handful of experienced players return in coach Jim Rose's first season. The Patriots face annual powers Valencia, Notre Dame of Sherman Oaks and Dorsey of L.A. over the next three weeks before beginning West Valley League competition. Briggs is expected to miss at least one more month.
It's 28-14 Crespi leading host Birmingham at halftime, and it's been an exciting first half filled with big plays -- by both teams.
After going three-and-out on its first possession, Birmingham put quite a scare into Crespi by scoring two quick touchdowns for an early 14-7 lead.
Max Smith keyed Birmingham's first scoring drive, connecting with Devin Johnson on a 41-yard pass play, followed by a 40-yard pass to Tashawn White, then a 1-yard sneak for a touchdown.
Crespi could not move the ball, and Davontae Perry-Brooks scored on a 65-yard punt return, showing some nice open-field moves and eluding several tacklers.
That was the wake-up call Crespi needed. Birmingham did not manage another first down the rest of the first half, while Crespiscored three second-quarter touchdowns for a 28-14 halftime lead -- two Brad Lattanzio touchdown runs of 23 and 10 yards and a 19-yard scoring pass from Bryan Bennett to Brian Irvine.
Not having standout running back Trajuan Briggs (broken ankle) has hurt Birmingham. The Patriots were held to 6 yards rushing in the first half while being outgained 247-93.
Fans are just trickling in here at Birmingham High in Lake Balboa, as the host Patriots (0-1) prepare for state-power Crespi (1-0) in a nonleague showdown scheduled to kick off in bit less than one hour.
Birmingham's Max Smith passed for more than 300 yards in his debut last week, a 25-24 loss at Garfield of L.A. Crespi tore up Lancaster 58-0 and is a heavy favorite tonight against the rebuilding Patriots under the guidance of first-year coach Jim Rose.
I'll update when I can. I
-- Gerry Gittelson
"Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel" investigates the deadly consequences of high school football concussions when the Emmy-award winning show returns Tuesday on HBO and HBO 2.
While these injuries often make headlines in pro football, few realize that head injuries at other levels of the game, specifically high school, are occurring at an astounding rate and can have deadly consequences. In the last two years alone, eight kids have died from head injuries and many more have suffered catastrophic injuries after returning to the game too soon following a concussion.
Gumbel takes an in-depth look at the disturbing frequency and deadly hazards of concussions in high school football. Interviews include: Injured JV high school player Zack Lystedt of Seattle; Zack's parents, Victor and Mercedes Lystedt; Dr. Mark Lovell, head of the University of Pittsburg Medical Center sports concussion clinic; Marina Dougherty, mother of Ryne Dougherty, who died last October; Ryne's Montclair (NJ) High teammates, Aalim Monk, Travis Hubbard and Brandon Young.
-- Gerry Gittelson
Billy Parra, the new coach at Granada Hills, was an all-league receiver back in the day at Kennedy in 1988, but now that he is a head coach, he plans to run the football as much as possible.
That's because Parra is playing to the Highlanders' strengths, as three of its top players are running backs -- Oscar Ortiz, Daniel Aslan and Jon Powell -- and top lineman Steven Oviedo returns, too.
"Steven is doing great at right tackle. He had a great summer and he should have an awesome senior year if he stays healthy," Parra said.
Last year, Granada Hills was 1-9, including nine consecutive losses to finish the season.
The Highlanders open Friday at Calabasas.
-- Gerry Gittelson
St. Francis has never won a playoff game since star multi-purpose back Dietrich Riley joined his freshman year in 2006, but Dietrich believes this Golden Knights' team is special after a strong showing in the opening scrimmage against high-powered Valencia.
"We absolutely dominated them," Riley said. "This scrimmage really sets the tone and gives me the idea we're going to be a great football team."
Riley, one of California's top recruits who has been offered more than a year ago by USC, UCLA and others, said he was especially impressed with the offensive line.
-- Gerry Gittelson
Stephan Hicks, a first team all-Marmonte League selection and Agoura's leading scorer a year ago has not shown up for classes this year and could be transferring to a new prep school in Hawthorne.
Hicks is thinking about transferring to National Prep Academy or possibly Birmingham Charter of Lake Balboa.
National Prep Academy is not under the jurisdiction of the CIF therefore making a transfer easy but a bonafide change of residence would be required for Birmingham Charter.
Humbled after failing to live up to all the hype a year ago, Crespi High of Encino is on the comeback trail. The Celts were ranked No. 1 in the area by the Daily News for most of 2008 before losing all three Serra League games to fall out of playoff contention.
Poor Lancaster, the sacrificial lamb in Crespi's opening 58-0 victory last week. Now comes City Section power Birmingham (0-1) on Friday at 7:30 p.m., and the visiting Celts (1-0) want to keep the heat on.
For Crespi's core group of senior three-year starters - quarterback Bryan Bennett, receiver/defensive back Blake Stanton and linemen Hroniss Grasu and Ben Loth - there is new meaning to the phrase "one game at a time."
The foursome no longer are talking in September about eventually winning a Southern Section championship at Angel Stadium, but they do mean business. A letdown Friday would be a total shock for a Crespi team bound and determined to prove last year was an anomaly and this year is about redemption.
"Last year was not a very good year. I definitely do not like to lose," Bennett said. "We're trying to come back and to make a statement for our team. No matter what has happened in the past, we come to practice every day to work. Losing those three in a row last year really got to me."
In the opening victory over Lancaster, Bennett completed 12 of 18 passes for 178 yards and four touchdowns, including a 13-yarder to Stanton.
On the same night, Birmingham lost to Garfield of L.A. 25-24, and Crespi is a 32-point favorite Friday on Calpreps.com. But Bennett and Co. now know nothing is automatic. Their mentality will be like it's the Super Bowl.
"We're hungry as a team. We're going to get after it," Grasu said.
The four are close friends on and off the field, and Stanton can see a difference in Bennett this year, a passion Stanton never witnessed before despite the fact Bennett already has a college scholarship sewed up by committing early to Oregon.
"The whole team hates losing but I think Bryan took it personally," Stanton said. "He was real bitter, but he has really come back with his head on right. He has been ready to work since Day One. It's a fresh new season, and everyone is pumped."
The players are tired of talking about last year, and you can't blame them.
"We don't want to dwell on all that. Now it's about proving everyone wrong and showing we can be the team we're supposed to be," Stanton said.
Stanton caught 46 passes last year and has entered this season ranked as the Daily News No. 1 receiver. By now, he and Bennett have a special camaraderie that allows them to know where each other is and what each other is doing at all times.
"That's the kind of chemistry you get by being together for three years," Grasu said. "They have great chemistry."
Added Bennett: "I've worked with Blake on routes for so long that I kind of know by second nature where he wants the football."
Birmingham is no pushover. Over the past seven seasons, the Patriots have averaged more than nine victories and have won four City titles. Birmingham has played Crespi the past five seasons, winning in 2004 and 2005 before losing three in a row, including a 31-0 defeat last season.
Birmingham receiver Davontae Perry-Brooks, who had seven receptions for 179 yards and two touchdowns last week, concedes nothing.
"A lot of people are saying we're going to get rolled, but in the game of football anything can happen, and we should know because we've been on both sides," Perry-Brooks said. "Personally, I think we can win this game because we've been working hard and we're going to come in ready. We're the underdog, so the pressure is on them. All we have to do is play hard every play."
gerry.gittelson@dailynews.com
Coming off an opening 37-7 victory over Klein Oak (Tex.) on Monday at Cowboys Stadium in Texas, Notre Dame faces a stiff challenge at Northern Division power Moorpark on Saturday at 7 p.m.
As always, offensive lineman Ben Gottschalk figures to play a big role. He is a key blocker for returning Maxpreps All-American quarterback Ryan Kasdorf, and Notre Dame again figures to throw the football a lot against Musketeers.
So you're back from the big Monday Night opener in Texas. How was it?
It was an awesome experience playing at Cowboys Stadium literally and metaphorically. It was a great game, and we did a lot of team bonding because we all roomed together. It was just a great experience.
Yeah, we saw the game on TV. What a block by Ryan Kasdorf on that one play when he took out that defensive lineman. He might put you out of a job, Ben.
Ha ha. No, not at all. That was just one play.
As a blocker who provides protection for such a valuable quarterback like Kasdorf, do you sometimes feel like a bodyguard?
Yes. Protecting him is everything to us. That's our job. We need to make sure guys like Ryan and (running back) Kenny Boggs and (receiver) Tyler Thomas can make plays, or our offense won't work. It's pretty much up to the offensive line. We're not always the ones who get the credit, but it all pays off when we get the win. This is actually only the second year that I've ever played offense. Before that, in Pop Warner and stuff, I always played defense.
Moorpark is not an easy opponent, you agree?
Oh yes. They're an extremely good team that made it to the CIF finals last year. I remember last year they had a nose guard who did some work on us. I'm looking forward to this game. I always like a challenge.
You've had two brothers who played at Crespi, which is Notre Dame's big rival. Was that weird?
Well, it's funny how it worked out. Actually, they first tried to go to Notre Dame but the school's enrollment was all filled up.
And I assume you're happy at Notre Dame?
Oh yes. I think it was the right decision for me to come here. I don't think I could get better coaching anywhere from (head coach) Kevin Rooney to my position coach, Anthony Vitale. He works us hard every day, so whenever it comes to game time, it's easier than practice.
You have scholarship offers from Colorado State, San Diego State, UNLV and a few others. Are you close to making a decision?
Well, I have six offers, so I am starting to kind of nail it down, but I'm still not sure. I'll probably make my decision late in the season or after the season. I'll just have to see how it works out.
-- Gerry Gittelson
Mohammad Roknipour, a junior at Canyon who is supposedly the second coming of Chris Sailer after kicking 65-yard field goals in practice this past summer, has been declared ineligible because he does meet the criteria for an exchange student after moving in from Iran, Canyon coach Chris Varner said.
The family applied for a hardship waiver today, Varner said.
"I can't imagine how the CIF would deny this kid," Varner said. "He essentially escaped persecution in Iran. There were tough times there. It was a serious matter. I don't know much more of hardship a kid can have."
-- Gerry Gittelson
FIVE GAMES TO WATCH:
FRIDAY
CRESPI (1-0) at BIRMINGHAM (0-1), 7:30 p.m. - Birmingham needs to rise to the occasion or it could be long night against the high-powered Celts, who scored a 58-0 opening victory over Lancaster.
HART (0-1) vs. PALMDALE (0-0) at College of the Canyons, 7:30 p.m. - Will the real Hart please stand up? There is no way Hart can get away with finishing 5-6 again, but an 0-2 hole is possible because Palmdale will come to play.
VALENCIA (0-0) at THOUSAND OAKS (0-0), 7 p.m. - Foothill League-favorite Valencia has more returning talent, but Thousand Oaks QB Avondre Bollar could be a star in the making.
BURBANK (1-0) at CHAMINADE (0-0), 7:30 p.m. - After 10 years at Birmingham, coach Ed Croson has returned to Chaminade, and the Eagles are hoping the reunion gets off to a good start.
SATURDAY
NOTRE DAME (1-0) at MOORPARK (1-0), 7 p.m. - Notre Dame did it big in Texas, but Moorpark would love nothing more than an upset victory over the mighty Knights.
OTHER GAMES
Friday
NONLEAGUE
Ventura at Agoura, 7:00pm
Highland at Burroughs (Ridgecrest), 7:00pm
Glendale at Cathedral, 7:00pm
Montclair Prep at Frazier Mountain, 7:00pm
Grace Brethren vs. Oak Park at Moorpark College, 7:30pm
Kern Valley at Vasquez, 7:00pm
Paraclete at Knight, 7:00pm
Lynwood vs. Harvard-Westlake at Lynwood Middle School, 7:00pm
Bell-Jeff at Mountain View, 7:00pm
Camarillo at Newbury Park, 7:00pm
Muir at Oaks Christian, 7:00pm
Saugus at Pasadena, 7:00pm
Inglewood at Quartz Hill, 7:00pm
Golden Valley at Royal, 7:00pm
Burroughs at Schurr, 7:00pm
Buena at Simi Valley, 7:00pm
St. Francis at Arcadia, 7:00pm
West Ranch vs. Lancaster at Valencia, 7:00pm
Canyon at Bakersfield, 7:30pm
Granada Hills at Calabasas, 7:30pm
Crescenta Valley vs. Verdugo Hills at Glendale, 7:00pm
Eastside vs. Escondido at Antelope Valley, 7:00pm
Antelope Valley at Frontier (Bakersfield), 7:30pm
Alemany at Kennedy, 7:00pm
San Fernando at Littlerock, 7:00pm
Grant at Bell, 7:00pm
Eagle Rock at Canoga Park, 7:00pm
Dorsey at Chatsworth, 7:00pm
Contreras at El Camino Real, 7:00pm
Fremont at Cleveland, 7:00pm
Marshall vs. Arleta at Contreras, 7:00pm
Monroe at Poly, 7:00pm
North Hollywood at Reseda, 7:00pm
Westchester at Sylmar (CA), 7:00pm
Washington at Taft, 7:00pm
Van Nuys at Panorama, 7:00pm
SATURDAY
NONLEAGUE
California Military Institute at L.A. Baptist, 1:00pm
Desert at Campbell Hall, 1:30pm
Fillmore vs. Village Christian at Kennedy, 7:00pm
Channel Islands at Malibu, 2:00pm
St. Genevieve vs. Flintridge Prep at Occidental College (Los Angeles, CA), 3:00pm
Villanova Prep vs. Desert Christian at Lancaster, 7:00pm
-- Gerry Gittelson
Oaks Christian of Westlake Village will be hosting a 12-team tournament starting the day after Christmas.
Currently there are 11 teams confirmed to participate. The tournament organizers are searching for one more team.
The 11 teams in so far include Oaks Christian, Sierra Canyon, Sheldon of Sacramento, Horizon of San Diego, Taft, Cleveland, Agoura, Westlake, Palisades of Pacific Palisades, Santa Clara of Oxnard and Mount Vernon of Virginia.
Tournament director Dennis Magro can be reached at 818-585-6755.
Cory Bess, a top football running back at Chaminade of West Hills, has the worst luck with injuries.
Three years ago, Bess broke his left collarbone. Two years ago, he broke his right collarbone. Last year, he tore his Anterior Cruciate Ligiment in his knee before the season and missed the whole year. And this year, Bess, a senior, has yet to be cleared after undergoing further knee surgery this past summer to remove cartilage.
"We hope to get him cleared Friday so he can play not in this first game against Burbank but in the next game," Chaminade coach Ed Croson said. "He seems fine but the doctor is very conservative."
What's impressed Chaminade kicker Matt Goudis is how Bess continues to remain a team player.
"Cory is one of those kids who has a real passion for the game," Goudis said. "Last year, he came to every single practice even though he never saw the field. I'm sure he'll be really happy when he comes back."
-- Gerry Gittelson
Defending City Section Div. II football champion Arleta, 14-0 last season, is ready to unleash Omar Sanchez and Antonio Bray, the City's Section's top running-back duo this side of Taft of Woodland Hills' D.J. Morgan and Lucky Radley.
Sanchez is the returning City Player of the Year, and Bray is a high-profile transfer from Canyon who also played at Alemany of Mission Hills.
In an opening scrimmage against Reseda, Bray scored on an 85-yard kick return and a 65-yard run.
"Bray adds phenomenal speed," Reseda coach Alonzo Arreola said. "He is a game breaker, and that's something Arleta did not have last year."
The knock on Bray has been his attitude after run-ins at Alemany and Canyon, but Arleta coach Jeff Engilman told Bray from the beginning he would not put up with any problems, and so far everything is working out fine.
"His attitude has been great, and you know me -- if you have a bad attitude on this team, then you need to play elsewhere," Engilman said. "Antonio Bray knows that. Everyone on the team knows that."
Bray could not be happier.
"This is beautiful. I just can't wait to show what I can do," he said. "I'm glad Coach Engilman has given me a chance to play football again."
-- Gerry Gittelson
Alex Ball, a Westlake football sophomore who grew up in England, is developing into quite a kicker after recording seven touchbacks Friday in a 48-26 victory over Paso Robles.
"He said he wants to play American football, and he's doing a nice job," coach Jim Benkert said. "Those kickoffs did just make it to the end zone. They went all the way out of the end zone. They weren't even close. He has a great leg."
-- Gerry Gittelson
A junior receiving heavy recruiting interest is football standout Antwaun Woods, a Taft defensive tackle. He has picked up seven offers, including USC, UCLA, Florida and Tennessee.
"I'm happy with my son. I can't do anything but commend him," said Woods' father, Phillip. "He's doing well in school, too, and he's going to take advantage of his options. He has a good shot at whatever he wants to do."
-- Gerry Gittelson
Valencia's Lonnie Jackson, who averaged a school-record 23 points as a sophomore this past basketball season, is really blowing up and could develop into one of the nation's top recruits by the time he is a senior.
The 6-foot-3 guard already is ranked in the ESPN Top 150 and has an early scholarship offer from Arizona State.
"College coaches are calling, and our mail box is full every day," said Jackson's father, Lance. "We've been in conversations with just about every coach in the Pac-10 including UCLA. USC is interested. Kansas is interested. They're not all offering because he's a junior, but they're interested."
-- Gerry Gittelson
The fires caused a lot of football teams to change schedules last week, and Palmdale quarterback Josh Shaw had to miss a scrimmage against Canyon on Saturday in Thousand Oaks because he was at the University of Washington on a recruiting trip.
"I felt really bad but our coach understood because I had booked the plane ticket way back in May," Shaw said.
Shaw has no less than 10 favorites including USC and UCLA, along with Ohio State, Washington, LSU, Florida, Notre Dame, Michigan, Oklahoma and Tennessee.
"I have a big box filled with recruiting letters, and that makes me feel good, but I'm a humble person," Shaw said.
-- Gerry Gittelson
Russ Gordon, head football coach at Campbell Hall of North Hollywood, was booming 50-yard punts during pregame warmups Saturday before an opening 40-12 victory over visiting Antelope Valley - not a surprise once you learn Gordon, 34, is a former All-American punter at Antelope Valley College.
"Have I ever had a punter who can punt better than me? Never," Gordon said. "But about five years ago, they starting running a lot faster than me."
-- Gerry Gittelson
The M & M boys from Chatsworth, Mike Moustakas and Matt Dominguez, continue their Major League baseball journey after both being drafted in the first round in 2007 - Moustakas No. 2 overall by the Kansas City Royals and Dominguez No. 12 by the Florida Marlins.
Moustakas is batting .250 with 16 home runs and 86 RBIs for Single-A Wilimington, N.C., while Dominguez is batting .247 with 13 home runs at Double-A Jacksonville, Fla.
gerry.gittelson@dailynews.com
The Winter Slam Jam girls basketball tournament is set for Dec. 7-12 at Calabasas High.
Twelve teams will take partin the six-day tournament.
Valencia, Knight, Sierra Canyon, Burbank, Golden valley, Hueneme, Calabasas, El Camino Real, Birmingham, Kennedy, San Fernando and North Hollywood are confirmed.
The Conejo Classic water polo tournament starts Friday at four area schools and features 32 teams competing over two days.
Oaks Christian of Westlake Village, Thousand Oaks, Westlake and Newbury Park will be the sites.
Matches start at 2 p.m. at each site Friday and 7:30 a.m. on Saturday.
The top four teams after pool play is completed will compete at Cal Lutheran University on Saturday at 4:40 p.m. and 5:35 p.m.
Thirteen of 32 schools are from the region including Oaks Christian, Thousand Oaks, Malibu, Crespi, Rio Mesa, Westlake, Moorpark, Alemany, Crescenta Valley, Newbury Park, Notre Dame, Calabasas and Glendale.
Newbury Park High running back Cameron Roberson wanted to see Notre Dame University on a gameday before deciding if he wanted to play for the Fighting Irish.
Apparently he liked what he saw this weekend. Roberson gave a verbal commitment to Notre Dame after visting Saturday when the Irish blew out Nevada, according to Rivals.com.
Here is the full story:
Steve Hare
IrishIllustrated.com Recruiting Analyst
When Cameron Roberson picked up a scholarship offer from Notre Dame over the summer, it was just a matter of time before the 6-foot-1, 215-pound running back from Newbury Park, Calif., became a part of the Irish's recruiting class.
Time ran out on Sunday when Roberson committed to the Irish before leaving campus following his weekend official visit.
Roberson's grandfather, Thomas Murray Turner, was one of the first African Americans to graduate from Notre Dame when he did so in 1959, but that wasn't the only thing pushing the four-star prospect to South Bend.
"My mom, she cried the first time I talked to coach (Charlie) Weis after they offered, so she's been wanting me to go there for a long time," Roberson said. "I made her dreams come true."
Roberson had a good idea he'd commit before he landed in South Bend on Friday. After spending time on campus, he was convinced Notre Dame was the place for him.
"I was talking to some of the players and they said what a great place it would be," Roberson said. "A lot of it was walking around campus and seeing the buildings. It was definitely a place I could see myself at for four or five years."
After discussing the potential commitment with his parents, Roberson shared the news with Irish assistant coach Tony Alford.
"Me and my parents pulled him to the side and I told him," Roberson said. "He jumped up and gave me a big handshake and a smile. I met with coach Weis after that. He was saying he thinks I made a great decision because this is a place that could set you up for the rest of your life."
Despite the commitment, Roberson waited to make the news public.
"I wanted to talk to (Northwestern) coach (Pat) Fitzgerald first," Roberson said. "I didn't want him to find out over the Internet."
With the commitment out of the way, Roberson said he plans to enjoy his senior season at Newbury Park High School.
"I feel a lot better now," he said. "I can just enjoy my last year in high school and get ready to work."
The day began with Shannon Murakami's victory in Provo, Utah, and concluded with Brianna Jauregui, Nina Moore and Anne Randall all finishing in the top six in Fullerton.
Throw in Brandon Jauregui taking 14th at Cal State Monterey Bay in his debut for San Francisco State and it was a strong day for several former Saugus cross country standouts at the Division I and junior college levels.
Murakami, a 2007 graduate and UCLA junior, dominated the field at BYU's Autumn Classic to cover the 5-kilometer course in 17:59.2, 25 seconds ahead of BYU sophomore Katy Andrews.
"I honestly couldn't have done it without all of coach Paragas' training and the Nelson and my family's support," said Murakami, who benefitted from training over the summer with the Centurions, as UCLA underwent a coaching change that saw the dismissal of Eric Peterson and the arrival of Johnny Gray and Forest Braden.
Crescenta Valley of La Crescenta's Rachel Lange, a BYU sophomore, was fourth, helping the Cougars win with 34 points, ahead of Idaho State (41) and UCLA (47). Burroughs of Burbank graduate Sadee Martinez was 24th (19:36.4) for UCLA and Crescenta Valley alumnus Michelle Callister, a BYU freshman who competed unattached, was 25th (19:37.9).
At the 25th Cal State Fullerton Invitational, Jauregui and Moore -- competing for Glendale Community College -- and Long Beach State's Randall occupied half of the top six spots. Jauregui, a freshman, was the top junior college finisher, taking third on the 6-kilometer layout at Fullerton Golf Course in 23:02.20.
"The course reminded me a lot of (Woodward Park)," Jauregui said. "During the race, I just kept telling myself, 'This is just like state.'"
Jauregui and her Glendale College teammates, who finished third out of 26 teams with 93 points, will run at Woodward Park -- site of the state junior college and high school championship meet -- next Saturday at the Fresno Invitational. The Vaqueros hope to have 2008 Saugus graduate Katie Dunn back next week after she was sidelined Saturday with a lower back injury.
Moore, who didn't compete last year after graduating in 2008, finished fifth in 23:09.30 and Randall was the top Division I finisher, taking sixth in 23:11.40, as Long Beach State took second with 65 points, trailing Azusa Pacific's 53.
APU's Jacky Kipwambok, a 24-year-old junior from Kenya, won the race in 21:24.20, followed by former GCC standout Vivien Wadeck (22:43.10), who attends Cal State L.A., but competed unattached Saturday.
Continue reading CROSS COUNTRY: Huge day for Saugus graduates in college debuts.
Desert Christian of Lancaster won its season opener for the third consecutive year, recording a 38-0 victory Saturday night over California City -- a first-year program -- at Lancaster High.
Emmanuel McConnell rushed for touchdowns of 35 and 25 yards for the Knights, who benefitted from interceptions from Chris Collins and Brodie Speed, as well as two safeties.
Kiel Alcaraz returned a punt 65 yards for a touchdown and Steven Cooper scored on a 5-yard run for Desert Christian.
Austin McBroom, a top basketball and baseball player at Campbell Hall of North Hollywood, has joined the football team for his junior season, and he is expected to have a major impact.
"I like football a lot," McBroom said.
McBroom, a junior all-purpose back, looked terrific today against Antelope Valley. He scored on a 25-yard touchdown run the first time he touched the football, though the play was nullified by a penalty. The second time McBroom got his hands on the ball, he broke five tackles on a 38-yard run, then scored a few moments later on a 5-yard run.
McBroom played one game his freshman season and scored a touchdown before going down with an injury, and then-basketball coach Terry Kelly dissuaded McBroom from playing football again.
Kelly has resigned, and that helped to open the door for McBroom to rejoin the football team.
"(Kelly) kind of encouraged me not to play football," McBroom said. "But I understood it. He wanted to keep me healthy."
-- Gerry Gittelson
Dwindling participation is hurting Sylmar, once the San Fernando Valley's dominant City Section program in the 1980s and 1990s.
The Spartans are down to 27 players for this season, though one of them is DeAndre Roberts, a 6-foot-4, 260-pound defensive lineman who is among the area's top players and has scholarship offers from New Mexico State and Nevada.
"DeAndre is awesome. He is the man this year," coach London Woodfin said.
-- Gerry Gittelson
Alemany High of Mission Hills did not come through with a giant football upset over mighty Oaks Christian of Westlake Village in the season opener Friday, but the host Warriors sure earned some respect.
The little team that could gave Oaks Christian all it could handle in a 28-17 loss that was a lot closer than everyone thought it would be.
"Oh, Alemany definitely earned our respect. They're hard workers, and they fought until the very end no matter how tired they got," Oaks Christian defensive lineman Cassius Marsh said. "They're a good team. They're not just talented, they work hard, too."
Marsh is among several national prospects on Oaks Christian's roster. On paper, this was supposed to be a rout, but that's not the way it turned out.
Oaks Christian's heralded running back Malcolm Jones rushed for 275 yards, but he had to work for it with 37 carries. He scored on runs of 23, 1 and 17 yards, and his longest run was just 26 yards -- a long night's work considering he has 72 career touchdowns and is considered perhaps the No. 1 prep running back in the nation.
In his first varsity start, Alemany junior quarterback Vernon Adams was asked to slay a dragon, and to his credit he did not appear to be intimidated. He completed 8 of 13 for 173 yards and two touchdowns.
"We played hard, and they played hard. We did try our hardest," Adams said. "I think we're going to win a lot of games this year."
Oaks Christian's Nick Montana, son of NFL Hall of Famer Joe Montana, was constantly pressured, completing 12 of 27 for 142 yards and one touchdown.
Oaks Christian (1-0), which has won a Southern Section-record six consecutive section championships, entered as the USA Today No. 7 team in the nation.
At first, it looked like the early rout everyone expected. Alemany (0-1) fumbled away the football on its first possession on its 40-yard line, and Oaks responded three plays later on Jones' 23-yard touchdown run for a quick 7-0 lead.
But two possessions later, Alemany's Malcolm Marable intercepted Montana and returned it 28 yards to the Oaks Christian 45, soon followed by a 23-yard touchdown pass from Adams to Kevin Lenik for a 7-7 tie.
Oaks Christian answered by going 80 yards in 12 plays, scoring on Jones' 1-yard run. Jones carried seven times for 45 yards on the drive.
Again, Alemany did not break. On Oaks Christian's next possession, Saladin McCullough recovered a Jones fumble on the Oaks 20, and Alemany cashed in on a Martin Meza 22-yard field goal cut the deficit to 14-10.
Oaks Christian produced another 12-play, 80-yard touchdown drive, culminating with a 12-yard touchdown pass from Montana to Blair Holiday to make it 21-10 at halftime.
Jones added a 17-yard touchdown in the third quarter, then Alemany scored on a 5-yard pass from Adams to Chike Mbanefo.
Marable, who scored 26 touchdowns last year, rushed for 50 yards on 17 carries and had three receptions for 59 yards. He did not score but had an interception.
gerry.gittelson@dailynews.com
BOX SCORE:
Oaks Christian 7-14-7-0-28
Alemany 7-3-7-0-17
OC-Jones 23 run (Davis kick)
A-Lenik 23 pass from Adams (Meza kick)
OC-Jones 1 run (Davis kick)
A-FG Meza 22
OC-Holiday 12 pass from Montana (Davis kick)
OC-Jones 17 run (Davis kick)
A-Mbanefo 5 pass from Adams (Meza kick)
STATS
RUSHING:
OC: Jones 37-275
A: Marable 17-50
PASSING:
OC: Montana 12-27-142
A: Adams 8-13-173
RECEIVING:
OC: Payton 4-52
A: Marable 3-59
Well, the big show is about to begin, as Oaks Christian, ranked No. 7 by USA Today, prepares for its season opener at Alemany, scheduled to begin in just a few minutes.
The place is already packed, so it should be a good one.
Alemany has a defense that includes four sophomores and three juniors, and Oaks Christian has a high-octane offense featuring QB Nick Montana, RB Malcolm Jones and WR Jordan Payton -- all three are all-state candidates -- so it's no surprise Alemany is a huge underdog.
Alemany's kids don't believe it, swears defensive coodinator Rick Herrington.
"Nothing is impossible. We just have to keep it close and avoid the big play," Herrington was saying just a few minutes ago. "Our kids are not intimidated. During practice this week, we would say, 'Hey, they're pretty good," and the kids would say, 'Yeah? We're good, too.' But at this point, if they're not a little scared, there's something wrong."
-- Gerry Gittelson
Littlerock will now travel to Los Angeles High for a 3 p.m. game instaed of hosting tonight.
North Hollywood will now travel to South east of South Gate for a 7 p.m. game instaed of hosting.
Fire concerns and air-quality were cited as reasons in moving the games.
Tonight's season opener between Franklin of Los Angeles and Harvard-Westlake of North Hollywood has been cancelled due to air-quality concerns by the Los Angeles Unified School District.
L.A.U.S.D. will not allow Franklin to play west of the 405 fwy.
One option was to move the game to Franklin but Harvard-Westlake officials balked at that idea as too much money, time and effort was put into hosting the game.
It's a new era at La Canada High under first year coach Dan Yoder, but the Spartans, led by returning quarterback Rocky Moore, are having trouble beginning a turnaround from last year's 4-5-1 season because of the fires.
The team has not been able to practice this week, and a scrimmage scheduled for today has been cancelled, Let's just hope things work out soon so the season opener next week at Alhambra won't be in jeopardy.
-- Gerry Gittelson
Sean Coen, a former standout wide receiver for coach Harry Welch at Canyon of Canyon Country, has reunited with Welch at St. Margaret's, where Welch is in his third season and has yet to lose a game.
In 2003, Canyon totaled 108 receptions -- the second-best single-season performance in Valley-area history behind Dan Moody's 110 (Crescenta Valley, 2001). Coen went on to play at Cal Lutheran.
-- Gerry Gittelson
Big things are expected at Montclair Prep, which is back playing 11-man football following a three-year stint in eight-man because of dwindling participation.
The Mounties have 32 players -- all varsity, no JV -- under longtime coach George Giannini, including a large group of new faces that includes defensive end Stephane Nembot, a 6-foot-9, 260-pound junior from Cameroon, Africa, who has been nicknamed "The Beast."
Montclair Prep opens at Frazier Mountain on Sept. 11 at 7 p.m.
-- Gerry Gittelson
Taft of Woodland Hills senior guard Bryce Jones has verbally committed to play basketball at USC.
The 6-foot-6 Jones, the No. 10 rated prospect in the state and No. 141 nationally in the class of 2010 according to Rivals.com, selected the Trojans over Arizona, Arizona State, Gonzaga and UNLV.
Jones sat out of varsity competition his junior season after transferring from View Park Prep of Los Angeles to Taft. Jones led View Park Prep to the City Section small schools championship as a sophomore.
Jones and 6-foot-8 Texas-bound De'Andre Daniels -- No. 2 in the state and No. 33 nationally in the class of 2011 -- give the Toreadors two of California's top prospects, in addition to the presence of Loyola of Los Angeles transfer Jordan Gathers, who is expected to begin classes Wednesday at Taft.
Gathers, the nephew of the late Hank Gathers, is looking strongly at Nevada and Fresno State, among a number of West Coast schools.
Latest changes because of the fires: The Littlerock-Los Angeles game Friday at 7 p.m. has been switched to Los Angeles High, and the Antelope Valley-Campbell Hall game Saturday has been switched to 11 a.m. Saturday at Campbell Hall.
-- Gerry Gittelson
The scheduled opener Friday matching Eagle Rock at Verdugo Hills has been cancelled.
Since it's a week-zero game, both teams have one open date during the season and could possibly find a late fill-in opponent. Eagle Rock is idle in Week Five, and Verdugo Hills is idle in Week Nine.
Because of smokey conditions from the fires, Verdugo Hills has not been able to practice all week.
"To go into a game without a week of any activity -- practice, conditioning, nothing -- is just not worth it in light of the big picture, so both schools decided to cancel the game," Verdugo Hills coach Vic Castro said.
-- Gerry Gittelson
Hours after being named the football team's starting fullback and linebacker at Granada Hills High, Matthew Koziol died Friday night from a self-inflicted gun shot wound to the head in the bathroom of the family home. He was 16.
"I can't even describe the pain I'm going through, not just for myself but for the team," first-year head coach Billy Parra said. "I had to clean out his locker and address the team Monday, and it was the hardest thing I've ever done. I've never, ever heard of a football player from the Valley committing suicide."
Parra met the family at Holy Cross Hospital in Mission Hills late Friday after being informed by one of Koziol's friends, and the coach said Koziol already was pronounced dead. He said he met both parents at the hospital and that they were in the home at the time of the shooting and were beyond distraught.
"This is a really tough one," Parra said.
The timing was bewildering because Koziol had been named to Granada Hills' first team on both and defense earlier in the day after working hard all summer to earn a promotion from being a reserve.
"When we told him he would be starting for us at fullback and linebacker, Matthew was tremendously happy," Parra said. "He had committed himself to the weight room and had gained 15 to 20 pounds of muscle. That's the thing. No one knows why he did this."
Running backs coach Tobaise Brookins said the football field was Koziol's "safe haven."
"He loved football so much. He was very excited about being named a starter," Brookins said. "He worked hard for it. I'm just blown away by this whole thing. We all are. Apparantly, he was having some struggles for quite a while, some internal struggles and some family issues."
Brian Bauer, Granada Hills' executive director, posted a memo Saturday on the school web site about Koziol's death but did not elaborate on what happened, though he did provide a link to help students deal with grief. Bauer was not available for comment Tuesday.
"We're dedicating the season to him," Parra said. "We're putting his name and number on our helmets. We all knew him as Kozi, so we're putting 'Kozi 44' on our helmets. And his helmet, I'm keeping it close and pulling it out before every game so everyone on the team can walk up and touch it."
Koziol played sparingly last season, as Granada Hills won just one game, but he had a season-high 10 tackles in the last game of the season against Chatsworth
gerry.gittelson@dailynews.com
Sad news to report: Matthew Koziol, a returning senior linebacker at Granada Hills High and a former player at Northridge Little League, died Friday night by suicide, according to Elaine Harry, president of Northridge Little League.
Koziol is survived by his parents Robert and Lisa, his brother Andrew, and his sisters Jenna and Tessa.
According to another source, Granada Hills' administration put out a bulletin about the death.No other details are available.
I'm waiting for a return call from Granada Hills football coach Billy Parra. Stay tuned.
-- Gerry Gittelson
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