Football: In defeat, JJ Muno earns respect

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It was a bitter defeat for Sherman Oaks Notre Dame losing to neighborhood rival Encino Crespi, 28-26, on Friday night, but the best player on the field according to several neutral observers was linebacker JJ Muno of the Knights.

He had a long punt return, forced a fumble on defense, made some key tackles and caught a couple of passes.

‘He was all over the place,’ Coach Kevin Rooney said.

Notre Dame’s big problem was special teams break downs, which comes as a surprise considering that’s usually a strength for the Knights. Notre Dame gave up a kickoff return for a touchdown, had a punt blocked, had a field goal blocked and dropped a punt.

‘We’re usually pretty good in that,’ Rooney said.

-- Eric Sondheimer