Gerry Gittelson: November 2006 Archives

The Northern Division high school football semifinals -- Canyon at Westlake on Friday, and Hart at Moorpark on Saturday -- have been switched to a 7 p.m. kickoff instead of the original starting time of 7:30. So get there early!

Camarillo High's Bryan Anger, one of the Southland's top punters who averaged 42.1 yards per punt this season with 10 of 16 punts inside the 20, has committed to play football at Cal. The 6-foot-4 senior was also Camarillo's leading receiver with 37 receptions for 612 yards.

The Cowb oys will be a tough team for anyone to beat. Very tight performance tonight, very physically intimidating team. I've seen nearly every Canyon game over the past two years, and this team is better than last year's team. Should be interesting to see if the Cowboys can repeat ... Over and out.

Catching up on TDs, Chris Kingsbury has scored on a 13 pass from Longshore, followed by Longshore's 15-yard TD run, pushing the lead to 56-3. DiLuigi is up to 213 yards on 16 carries, and Longshore has passed for 228.

J.J. scores on a 37-yard run, demonstrating impressive cutback ability and power, and he carried several tacklers the final eight yards or so into the end zone. Definitely a highlight run ... DiLuigi has 189 yards and four TDs on 13 carries. He's scored 10 TDs over the six-plus quarters.

He's having a typical huge game, and Ben Longshore has completed 7 of 13 passes for 145 yards and a TD. Canyon has 286 yards, and Royal has 157.

Well, this isn't much of a game. Canyon added two more TDs, as J.J. DiLuigi scored on runs of 7 and 17 yards, and the Cowboys lead 35-3 at halftime; Royal's Danny Jennings kicked a 33-yard field goal -- his 10th of the year -- but otherwise Royal has yet to cross the 50.

This thing is getting out of hand ... quickly. Canyon scores its third TD, this one on Mike Spagnola's 37-yard punt return, and it's 21-0 with two minutes left in the first ... Who does Canyon play in the second round again???

Canyon looks sharp tonight, as expected. After holding Royal to one first down, the Cowboys drove for another touchdown, going 65 yards on six plays, capped by Michael Loucks' 9-yard TD reception. 14-zip, five minutes left in the first ...

Following an 8-yard punt, Canyon quickly took advantage, as J.J. DiLuigi scored on a 31-yard run, capping a three-play, 46-yard drive. 7-0 Canyon ...

The second season -- and the most important one -- has arrived, and defending Southern Section Div. II champion looks to defend its title, this time in the newly formed Northern Division. Canyon (7-2) opens against Royal (5-5) of Simi Valley, the fourth place team from the Marmonte League.

"We'll have to play our best game of the year to be in this thing," Royal coach Gene Uebelhardt said.

Stay tuned ...

Great execution, great players, and great toughness. Notre Dame really lays the wood on you, and if an opponent isn't ready to stand up physically with the Knights, they're in trouble. That's why Notre Dame is 10-0, and that's why they've won 45 of its past 46 games. You turn the ball over three times against a team like this, as Crespi did, and you get burned. It's a final: Notre Dame 21, Crespi 3.

Notre Dame pretty much broke Crespi's back on this one, driving 80 yards on 11 plays, and Brown's 1-yard TD finished it off, as Notre Dame jumps to 21-3 lead with just under two minutes left. That's all she wrote.

The Celts had 1st and 10 at the Notre Dame 12, but could not cash in, yet again. This time, Grasu missed a 41-yard field goal attempt, so Notre Dame's lead remains 14-3 with eight minutes left in the fourth ...

Not much action in the third quarter so far, but the reality is Crespi has to feel pretty good about trailing by only 11 at the half, considering the Celts turned the ball three times, scored just three points despite three trips insides ND's 29, and also lost second leading rusher Woods to an ankle injury ... Many high school football games are deciding in the first few drives of the third quarter; this one, not yet, so let's stay tuned ...

He hurt in the first quarter, and the trainers tried to work on him, but it looks pretty bad, and Woods appears very upset, which suggests he won't be back.

Fauria has five receptions for 72 yards, including a 24-yarder on 3rd and 30 to set up Mick Grasu's 29-yard field goal to make it 7-3, but Notre Dame drove for another TD, climaxed by Dane Crist's 10-yard keeper, so it's 14-3 Notre Dame with just over three minutes left in the first half.

Crespi drives all the way from its own 12 to Notre Dame's 11 -- an impressive series featuring several receptions by 6-8 tight end Joe Fauria -- but fumbles the ball away again, another momentum killer.

Thaddeus Brown scores on a 1-yard run, and you've got to believe rhythm and momentum are ultra important when so many people show up for showdown game. It will be interesting to see how Crespi, a two-time lower-division champion moving up to share the highest division -- Pac-5 -- responds.

Crespi's fumbles the ball away on its first play from scrimmage, and Notre Dame recovers at the 21 .... not a good omen.

Here we are at Crespi High, 45 minutes before game time and the place is nearly packed. This is quite a neighborhood showdown, and the Serra League title is on the line. Notre Dame (9-0, 2-0) has won 44 of its past 45 games, climbing to No. 4 in Cal-Hi state rankings. Crespi (6-3, 3-0) has won four in a row after three difficult losses against tough competition; the host Celts figure to have a good chance to forge an upset. We shall see.

Sam DeMartinis, a top offensive lineman at Notre Dame High of Sherman Oaks, has committed to a Cal football scholarship after an official visit this past weekend.

In other football recruiting news, Terrence Hopkins, a former tight end at Canyon High who's played at L.A. Valley College and Glendale, has committed to St. Marys. He'll join ex-Canyon/Glendale College defensive lineman Fred Gamble.

-- Gerry Gittelson

Canyon has made a statement. They're the best team in the Foothill League, and then there's everyone else. Saugus, frankly, is still at least a year away. They're just not good enough yet.

Punt snapped muffed, and Canyon's Blake McMartin recovers the fumble in the end zone, pushing the lead to 42-7 early in the fourth quarter. That's all she wrote, folks.

This thing is getting out of hand. Kingsbury scores his second TD of the game, and it does not look good for the Centurions ...

The option play is really working for Canyon, and Longshore did a nice job of stretching his body toward the goal line, as Canyon pushes the lead to 21 points midway through the third quarter ...

Second play of the second half, DiLuigi busts a 68-yard TD run right up the middle, and now it's 21-7 Canyon, just like that .... He's got 120 yards on 14 carries, plus that long kickoff return. Beginning of the third quarter, always crucial, it seems ...

Fouth and 1 in the waning seconds of the first half, and DiLuigi is stopped, as Saugus keeps the deficit at 14-7 -- a much more manageable score than what could have been a two-TD lead .... Now we'll see which team makes the proper adjustments at halftime, as usually in high school football one team either catches up or pulls away during the first couple drives of the third quarter.

Never saw this before ... Saugus' Ryan Zirbel runs toward the end zone, dives, then the ball gets popped out by Canyon tackler and flies THIRTY FEET into the air -- and is caught by quarterback Nick Gauthier in the end zone for a touchdown ... 14-7, Canyon. But wait, Canyon's J.J. DiLuigi just returned the kickoff 75 yards to the 21, so Canyon is back in biz ...

Canyon looks very sharp tonight, and Longshore did a nice job faking a handoff, then scoring on a naked bootleg from 16 yards for a 14-0 lead late in first quarter. Saugus better do something to rebound, or this thing could get out of hand ...

Very nice touchdown reception by Chris Kingsbury, who took a short pass, broke several tackles, then sprinted down the left sideline for a 45-yard TD ... 7-0 Canyon, an eight-play, 96-yard drive.

A bad omen for Canyon? Nick Madia, one of the league's top offensive lineman, is out with a broken leg, fracturing his right fibula in practice this week. Madia, a 6-foot, 263-pound three-year starter, is out for the rest of the season. His loss is a big one considering he's the league's strongest player, bench pressing 395 pounds.

Madia, on crutches, is doing his best to keep a happy face to help his teammates in any way he can.

"We were doing a drill, bodies were flying, and someone ended up landing across my leg," Madia said. "I just want to be here for my team and cheer them on. It could have been worse."

Nate Mestizo, a junior who's seen very little playing time, is slated to replace Madia in the starting lineup.

It's a huge night in Foothill League football circles, and this showdown at College of the Canyons should all but decide the league champion. Defending section champion Canyon (5-2, 2-0) is coming off a bye week, while Saugus, which hasn't won a league title since 1981, has won three in a row.

is Saugus for real? A good question considering the Centurions have yet to defeat a .500 team this season. Canyon has more than proven itself, so this should be interesting ...