Reseda Runs Away With City 2-A Title

Reseda High, long in search of respect in the City Section, rambled to the 2-A championship Thursday night with a 37-0 win over University at Birmingham High.

So what if it was only the 2-A title. So what if 3-A and 4-A coaches--while trying to conceal a bit of envy--are muttering over the Regents’ easy schedule. So what if Reseda didn’t win its league.

Reseda players and Coach Joel Schaeffer, the ones holding their heads high this morning, are champions. And if others don’t like it, well, that’s life in the big City Section.

“We earned respect with our performance tonight,” said Schaeffer of the effort that gave the Regents their first-ever championship. “University won our league, but I’ll take the City title any day.”

University (10-2) had defeated Reseda, 29-24, for the Pac 8 League title four weeks ago behind the passing of Daryl Hobbs and the superior athletic ability of his receivers.

Reseda (10-2) was supposed to need a grind-it-out attack to have a chance, but instead used its superior athletes to squash the Warriors. Superior athletes such as Ronald Wilkinson and David Wilson.

Wilkinson dashed for an 80-yard touchdown on the game’s first play, scored twice more on runs of seven and 32 yards and finished with 177 yards on 18 carries. Wilkinson, a junior, had 1,051 yards rushing this season.

“The line did an excellent job,” Wilkinson said. “A loss wasn’t going to happen again.”

Wilson, a Times’ second-team All-Valley selection, caught touchdown passes of 79 and 35 yards, intercepted a pass, recovered a fumble, and stopped Hobbs on an important fourth-down play in the third quarter.

“Everybody was fired up,” Wilson said. “The whole defense played well and got it started.”

Reseda forced six turnovers. Wilson, Shawn Peet, Darrell Armstrong and Marcus Coleman made interceptions. University also fumbled twice.

Hobbs was 15 of 27 for 175 yards, but most of the completions came when the outcome was no longer in doubt.

“We had three different coverages,” Schaeffer said. “We used a 3-4 pro front, which put more pressure on Hobbs.”

And on offense for Reseda, when Wilkinson wasn’t ripping off gains to the outside, Chris Vargas was plowing for yardage between the tackles. Vargas rushed for 133 yards on 16 carries. Reseda out-gained University, 463-261.

University Coach Joe Sedia, who had announced his retirement from coaching before the game, spoke softly after the game. “My immediate plans are Christmas vacation and my long-range plans are relaxation,” he said.

Schaeffer was much more vocal. “We’ve beaten 3-A teams,” he said. “I hate to apologize for good coaching. I feel bad for Joe. He is a fine coach.”

Although George Konstantinopoulos missed a 38-yard field-goal attempt on the final play of the first half, Reseda led, 17-0. The junior kicker made a 43-yarder in the second quarter to complete the first-half scoring. In the first meeting between the teams, Reseda led, 24-7, in the third quarter before University scored three times to win.

The Warriors took the second-half kickoff Thursday and moved 38 yards before stalling on downs. When Wilson made a solo tackle on Hobbs on fourth down at the Reseda 31, it was clear that no similar comeback was in store.

Other than the long gainers by Wilkinson and Wilson, the Regents relied on the running of Vargas, who rushed for 67 yards on eight carries in the half. Wilkinson had 100 yards on seven carries before halftime.

Hobbs was off mark the entire first half, completing only 5 of 16 passes for 69 yards and suffering through a stretch of eight straight incompletions.

After Wilkinson’s 80-yard scoring run, University put together its best drive of the half. Starting from its own 13, Curtis Railey ran for 15 yards, then Hobbs threw seven straight passes. Railey caught one for 30 yards and Marc Rodgers, who separated a shoulder on the last play of the half, followed with a 17-yard catch. The drive ended at the Reseda 10, however, when Peet picked off a pass that had been tipped by teammate Danny Saldivar.

About the only thing that went wrong for the Regents in the half was the 65 yards they incurred in penalties. Reseda out-gained University, 243-103, in the half.

Hobbs, a 6-2, 160-pound senior, went into the game having completed 84 of 166 for 1,551 yards and 20 touchdowns. In the first game with Reseda, he completed 13 of 20 for 233 yards and 3 touchdowns.