Canyon Remains No. 1 in the Area; Westlake Drops From Ranking

Canyon High held onto its No. 1 ranking in The Times Valley Top 10 after struggling past Notre Dame on Friday night, 21-14. The Cowboys, who won their 28th consecutive game, have been the top-ranked team since the season began.

No. 2 Granada Hills routed Van Nuys, 40-0. The Highlander combination of quarterback Brent Spurlin and wide receiver Greg Fowble continued to be effective. Spurlin threw four touchdown passes and finished with 14 completions in 20 attempts for 243 yards. Fowble hauled in four touchdown passes for 127 yards and kicked four extra points.

Meanwhile, No. 3 Alemany recorded its third shutout in four games as the Indians rolled past Pius X, 28-0.

Crespi remained in the No. 4 spot. The Celts got by stubborn St. Genevieve, 7-0, in the rain Saturday night. Crespi scored late in the fourth quarter to win its fourth straight.

In a game involving two Top 10 teams, No. 6 Kennedy moved into fifth after slipping by Taft, 3-0. Taft fell from No. 7 to No. 8.

Westlake fell out of the Top 10 for the first time after dropping its second straight game. Thousand Oaks, which beat Westlake in overtime, 24-21, moved to No. 9.

San Fernando moved from No. 7 to No. 6 with its 15-6 win over Crenshaw.

No. 7 Newbury Park broke into the Top 10 beating Channel Islands, 14-0. The Panther defense held Channel Islands to 47 yards rushing.

Calabasas grabbed the No. 10 position by whipping Oak Park, 25-6. It was the Coyotes’ first win over the Eagles in four years.

Thousand Oaks tailback Marc Monestime is this week’s Times Valley Player of the Week. Monestime led the Lancers to their overtime win against Westlake by rushing for 229 yards on 37 carries.

Last week’s Player of the Week, Greg Fowble was a candidate again this week on the strength of his four touchdown receptions. Spurlin was also a contender for the honor.

Other notable performances: M. J. Nelson of Simi Valley gained 178 yards on 24 carries as he led the Pioneers to a 24-9 victory over Royal. And Birmingham’s Kevin Zietz completed 11 of 21 passes for 241 yards in the Braves’ 29-0 win against Verdugo Hills.

The Valley Top 10 Selected by sportswriters of The Times

Last Rank Week Team League Record 1 1 Canyon Golden 4-0-0 2 2 Granada Hills Valley 4-A 3-0-0 3 3 Alemany Del Rey 4-0-0 4 4 Crespi Del Rey 4-0-0 5 6 Kennedy Valley 4-A 2-1-0 6 8 San Fernando Valley 4-A 2-1-0 7 NR Newbury Park Marmonte 3-1-0 8 7 Taft Sunset 2-1-0 9 NR Thousand Oaks Marmonte 2-2-0 10 NR Calabasas Frontier 4-0-0