It’s Canoga Park in 28-0 Blowout
In a game billed as a showdown between two of the Sunset League’s top teams, the Canoga Park Hunters wasted little time in separating the contenders from the pretenders as they demolished Monroe, 28-0
The Hunters scored the first two times they touched the ball and never looked back.
Doing the honors for Canoga Park were Mike Conover, who caught two touchdown passes and kicked all four extra points, and running back Kenny Durr, who ran eight times for 95 yards and the other two scores.
On defense, Canoga Park collected three interceptions and three fumble recoveries while holding the Monroe Vikings to 133 yards offense.
The victory sets up next week’s game between Canoga Park (4-1) and Taft, the other team expected to contend for the Sunset League title. Monroe, (3-1-1), is left wondering what happened between last night and last year, when they tied for first in the league.
Before the game, Monroe coach Howard Reisbord said he was worried that the big play might hurt his team. As it turned out, just about every play was a big one for Canoga Park early on.
On the Hunters’ first play, quarterback Tony Cantrell threw 48 yards to Junior Delgado. Durr ran it in 21 yards on the next play and Canoga Park led, 7-0.
The Hunters fared even better the next time they touched the ball, scoring in one play on a 27-yard pass from Cantrell to Mike Conover, who also added the extra point.
Those first two scoring drives took all of three plays and 46 seconds.
Meanwhile the Vikings were being frustrated on offense.
Monroe’s chances rested firmly on the shoulders of senior Barry Thomas, a star at wide receiver and safety last year who has been pressed into the starting quarterback role since an early season injury to the Viking’s Robert Harding.
Thomas, who also returns kicks, started off well enough. On the Vikings’ opening drive he ran twice for 25 and eight yards, but then was stopped on a fourth-down run.
From there on, a swarming Canoga Park defense, keying on the star player, stopped Thomas cold. He threw an early first-quarter interception to the Hunters’ Bryan Littlefield that set up Canoga Park’s second touchdown.
The Hunters finished off the half, and for all intents and purposes the game, when Durr broke for a 29-yard run, then followed with a two-yard scoring dive late in the second quarter.
After that, junior Sheldon Scoggins stepped in to take the snap. He finished 5 of 17 for 98 yards and one interception. Canoga’s Tony Cantrell completed 5 of 9 passes for 115 yards with two touchdowns and one interception.