Studer Wins Simi Quarterback Job With Strong Debut

Simi Valley High football Coach Dave Murphy can still maintain with a straight face that quarterback Todd Studer must earn the starting position each week, but the fans who watched the Pioneers’ 21-3 victory over visiting Ventura are convinced that Studer’s the Man.

“Every Tuesday and Wednesday, every position is open,” Murphy said. “Mark (Bustamante) could come back and win it, but Todd looked awfully good. He throws the ball very well and he makes very fine reads. He’s been very well-coached along the way; we can’t take credit for that.”

Studer, a transfer from Redmond, Wa., completed his first five passes and finished the night with nine completions in 14 attempts for 193 yards and three touchdowns. His fifth completion, a four-yard pass to tight end Ray Pacheco, completed a 68-yard, nine-play drive on Simi Valley’s first possession.

Studer began the second half with a 36-yard bomb to wide receiver Jeff Blank to set up a nine-yard scoring pass to Pacheco. He later came back with a 46-yard touchdown pass to Bustamante.

Studer said that his first game with a bunch of players who had been strangers to him in June was a comfortable experience. “I had a lot of confidence in the line; they’ve really come along. The team around me gave me confidence. They and the coaches won the game; anybody can stand behind the line and throw.”

Murphy wasn’t nearly as sanguine about the game. “Of the 23 games we have been here, we were more nervous about this one than any of the others because we had so many question marks,” Murphy said.

“Our biggest question mark was the offensive line. We didn’t know what to expect but they were very impressive with their blocking against an excellent team.”

Although Ventura Coach Harvey Kochel agreed that his team has the potential to be very good, he didn’t think the Cougars were in the same class with the Pioneers on Friday night.

“I thought they were better prepared than we were,” Kochel said. “They were a better football team than we were in every phase. We were outplayed and out-coached.

Kochel added: “I don’t think we executed well offensively. We’re not where we should be. We played tonight like we practiced all week--not taking care of details. Our players think they can beat people up. You don’t win by beating people up.”

Ventura’s only score came early in the second quarter when Steve Dailey kicked a 35-yard field goal four plays after Laurence Cottrell had recovered a bad pitchout by Studer on the Simi Valley 21-yard line.