Sylmar Quarterback Job and Relief for Hampton Hinge on Passing Grade

A starting quarterback will be selected at Sylmar High sometime tonight, but fifth-year Coach Tom Richards won’t be the only man with a say in the matter.

Academics figure to be the determining factor.

Adrian Valdez, a senior who has been academically ineligible to play football each of the past two years, will have the starting job if he passes a summer night class, Richards said. Valdez’s grades are expected to be released this afternoon.

If Valdez is again sidelined by his grades, Rick Negrete will move up from the B team to inherit the starting job until Marc Cisneros fully recovers from a broken arm. Cisneros broke his arm during the summer and will have his cast removed later this month.

Valdez, however, could be the key to Sylmar’s season. If he is available, his passing would help take some of the offensive load off running back Sean Hampton, a Times All-Valley selection in 1985.

As a junior last season, Hampton was the Valley area’s leading rusher, gaining 1,306 yards in 193 carries for a 6.8 average. He scored 13 touchdowns. Said Richards: “He’s the best player I’ve had in 29 years of coaching.”

Hampton is being recruited by 35 Division I colleges, Richards said. He may have a partner in the spotlight if Valdez is able to play.

“With Adrian, we will be able to do a lot of things,” Richards said. “We will have a more wide open attack. Without him, we will be limited.”

Either way, Sylmar’s offense will be built around Hampton, Richards said.

“We’re still going to run the hell out of the ball,” Richards said. “Sean may get the ball 30 to 40 times a game.”

Richards said Valdez could still make a big difference in Sylmar’s success on offense.

“Adrian Valdez can really throw the ball. With him in the lineup, we’ll be able to do a lot of things in our passing game. We’ll have an automatic short passing game with a lot of short rollout stuff,” Richards said.

Cleveland nose guard Don Anderson is being touted as the best defensive lineman in the Valley 4-A League by Cavalier Coach Steve Landress.

“He could be one of the best in the City,” Landress said. “Don is a big red-headed kid who gets that gleam in his eye and laughs real hard when it’s time to hit.”

Anderson, a 6-2 1/2, 250-pound three-year starter, plays offensive tackle and nose guard.

“I’m looking forward to seeing him go up against Kennedy center Ron Simmons,” Landress added. “That ought to be some clash. Simmons is getting a lot of attention and he deserves it. But Don is a fine player in his own right.”

To be sure, Simmons, a 6-4, 245-pound senior, has gained accolades.

“If you’ve never seen a center dominate a game,” Kennedy Coach Bob Francola said, “keep an eye on Simmons.”

Be sure that when Kennedy and Cleveland meet, plenty of eyes will be on Simmons and Anderson.

Canyon, which had the Valley area’s top defense last season, returns only two defensive starters. And both are changing position.

Chad Zeigler has played safety for 28 games in two seasons--all of which Canyon has won. He has been moved to cornerback.

Andy Boron played defensive end last season. He has been moved to inside linebacker.

“I really liked safety,” said Zeigler, managing a smile. “But the team is more important. So I’m a corner man.”

The changes are necessary if Canyon is to make up for the losses of nine players, including All-Southern Section players Randy Austin and Joe Zacharia.

“Defense is a real green area,” Canyon Coach Harry Welch said. “We’ll have to wait and see.”

Loyola High, defending Del Rey League football champion, will start only one sophomore this season. His name is Matt Butkus and, yes, he’s the son of Dick, the Hall of Fame linebacker.

Don’t expect the younger Butkus, a 6-3, 215-pound offensive tackle, to set the world on fire in his first varsity season, however. Right now, Coach Steve Grady said, Butkus is still a little rough around the edges.

“Ordinarily, he wouldn’t even be starting for us as a sophomore,” said Grady, who has led the Cubs to six league championships in the last nine years. “Eventually, though, he’s going to be a force. He’s that big as a 10th-grader and he’s still growing.”

Last season, Hart Coach Rick Scott and his football team began the season as one of the most highly publicized teams in the Southern Section.

The big preseason buildup was based on the players that were returning from the 1984 Foothill League championship team and the crop of juniors that was coming up from Hart’s undefeated sophomore team, including quarterback Jim Bonds.

It took the Indians three straight losses and a tie before they earned their first win, but the victory apparently gave Hart the momentum it needed. The Indians swept through the league undefeated and advanced to the Coastal Conference championship game, losing to Muir, 28-14.

Not much is different this year for Hart. The team has moved from the Coastal to the Northwestern Conference, but the Indians again sit atop the Southern Section preseason poll. Bonds and his teammates are again picked to win their league and possibly the conference title. Twenty players, including 13 starters and 7 all-leaguers are back. And there’s another talented group of juniors coming up from last season’s undefeated sophomore team.

“With so many returning starters, the hardest thing to do at this point in the season is to start with the fundamentals,” Scott said. “You have to convince the kids to be disciplined. So far, we’ve been getting that.”