THE HIGH SCHOOLS : Conover Carries the Burden After a Costly Fumble

Jeff Myers, quarterback at Canoga Park High, spun from center and put the ball in the hands of the team’s best player. With four minutes to go and junior running back Mike Conover carrying the ball, a 24-22 lead seemed more than safe for Canoga Park.

That sense of security lasted only seconds for the Hunters, who watched in shock as Conover fumbled at the line of scrimmage, giving Franklin the ball and eventually the game in Friday’s first round of the City 3-A playoffs. One play after Conover’s fumble, Franklin running back Eric York bolted seven yards for a touchdown that ended Canoga Park’s season, 28-24.

Canoga Park had blown a 24-0 first-half lead, then appeared to have the game won when defensive end Jim Dustman recovered a Franklin fumble at the Canoga Park seven yard-line with the Hunters nursing the 24-22 lead.

“I ran off the field, and everybody was jumping up and down, patting me on the back,” Dustman said Saturday. “I went to get a drink of water, and the next thing I know, the defense has to go back out there again. I was pretty upset.”

But not as much as Conover, who fumbled on the next play.

“It was a 54 blast and it was a perfect handoff,” Conover said. “I was stood up at the line and I had the ball punched out of my hands, but it was a legal punch. People tried to make me feel better about the fumble, but they can’t when you know it’s your fault.”

It’s cruel justice for Conover to play the role of goat. During the regular season he was the team’s leading rusher with 814 yards, second-leading receiver with 19 catches for 137 yards and the No. 1 scoring threat. His 88 points on 11 touchdowns, 13 conversion kicks and 3 field goals ranked him second in scoring among City Section players in the Valley.

And he had a great game Friday. He gained 120 yards on 19 carries, and scored 10 points on a 59-yard punt return, an extra-point kick and a 21-yard field goal.

Conover found little consolation in those numbers Saturday.

“I was the one who fumbled. I take the responsibility for the loss. All I thought after we recovered the fumble was ball control. I thought if we got one first down, we would win. I just wanted to get it out of our end,” he said.

Teammates refused to hold Conover responsible. Myers, who bruised a bone in his passing hand early in the game and completed 8 of 16 passes for 49 yards, did his best to console Conover.

“Mike’s known for blaming himself for losses, but we told him that one guy or one play doesn’t lose a game. He listened, but I don’t think he took it too well. He was still hurting,” he said.

“We tried to stick together after the game. We proved a lot this year and we won our first league championship since 1981. We’ll remember the year for that.”

Perhaps, but it will be hard for the Hunters (6-4) to remember at least two games that got away. Two weeks ago, Canoga Park blew a 13-0, fourth-quarter lead in a 16-13 loss to Birmingham. Will the Hunters be greeted at school Monday as chokers?

“I hope nobody says anything to me,” Conover said. “We did blow it, but who are they to say anything to us? I just feel bad for the seniors. I can say, ‘Next year.’ But those guys can’t.”

Overshadowed in Canyon’s Ken Sollom-Chad Zeigler show on Friday night was the play of Lance Cross, who took another step toward regaining the form that saw him rush from 2,440 yards as a sophomore and junior. While Sollom and Zeigler combined on three touchdown passes in Canyon’s 48-6 win over Dos Pueblos, Cross ran for 121 yards and two touchdowns on 11 carries.

Cross, a 5-7, 160-pound senior, has rushed for more than 100 yards in each of the past two weeks and had touchdown runs of 60 and 57 yards. After a dismal start in which he was slowed by injuries, Cross still has a shot at hitting the 1,000-yard mark for the third straight season. He has gained 745 yards on 128 carries with 12 touchdowns. Canyon could play three more games, giving Cross a shot at 1,000.

Channel Islands Coach Joel Gershon commiserated with Bob Richards, his counterpart at Thousand Oaks, after the Southern Section released the Coastal Conference playoff match-ups. Thousand Oaks draws Canyon in the second round.

Most coaches would curse their bad luck, drawing such a difficult opponent, Gershon told Richards, who replied: “As silly as it sounds, our kids want to play Canyon again.”

Said Gershon, “You’re probably the only one around who wants to play them.”

Richards, whose team’s only loss was a 26-7 defeat to Canyon in the third week of the season, figures his coaching assignment is easy this week.

“The hardest games to coach for are the ones where your kids figure they should win,” he said. “All week you have to convince them to play hard. It’s easier to prepare for a game like Canyon. We all know we have to work hard to win. Everyone’s on the same page.”

On a different weekend, the Canyon-Thousand Oaks game might threaten the school’s attendance record of 7,000 for the first Thousand Oaks-Newbury Park game in 1970, a 48-48 tie. But Richards said attendance might be hurt because Friday, a nonschool day, is part of the long Thanksgiving weekend.