HS FOOT: A.V. takes its lumps

Antelope Valley coach Brett Pape is getting fed up, and it's hard to blame him. The Antelopes (0-8) are down to 19 players, and they were shut out for the fourth time Friday in a 55-0 loss to Highland of Palmdale.

Once one of the Southland's most consistently successful programs, Antelope Valley's student population has dropped because new schools Knight of Palmdale and East Side of Lancaster were built five years ago.

"We've got 1,700 students and everyone else in the Golden League has 2,700 to 3,700," Pape said. "Plus, 42 percent of the students are learning disabled. The whole thing doesn't seem to concern the district office, but I'm starting to get pissed. They say the best way to improve test scores is to lower enrollment. It's just not right."

-- Gerry Gittelson