THE HIGH SCHOOLS : Canoga Park Prepares for the Heat and Drags Cleveland Over the Coals

It was the hottest upset of the year.

In more than 90-degree heat at Canoga Park on Friday afternoon, Coach Rudy Lugo’s team stifled Cleveland, 33-0, limiting the Cavaliers to 63 yards rushing and 148 overall.

“We prepared for it all week,” Lugo said. “We told guys that they would have to endure. We knew it was going to be hot.”

The Hunters’ defense was on fire all day. After tailback Mark Mooney ran 20 yards on Cleveland’s first play from scrimmage, Canoga Park yielded just 43 yards on the Cavaliers’ next 30 rushing attempts.

Ignoring smog and heat, the Hunter defense forced five turnovers, including an interception by linebacker Mike Hoffman that was returned for a touchdown.

“Our whole defense was outstanding,” said Canoga Park tailback Mike Conover, Lugo’s unofficial assistant coach. “They kind of embarrassed us last year and our guys wanted to beat them bad.”

With last year’s 23-7 loss to the Cavaliers firmly embedded in their minds, the Hunter defenders trapped Cleveland ballcarriers behind the line of scrimmage 11 times.

“I think the heat kind of affected our heads,” Cleveland tackle Marco Rivera said. “It was like we forgot our plays. I don’t know how to explain it.”

Said Cleveland quarterback Mario Hull: “Everybody was dehydrated. I was just giving 100%, or trying to anyway. It was like we couldn’t even stand up. If we played them at night, we would have beat them.”

Canoga Park was led by defensive end Jimmy Dustman, who had three sacks.

“Boy, he really gave us some good pass rushes,” Lugo said. “He was causing pressure and bad passes the entire game.”

Linebackers Hoffman and Tak Odama made their presence felt, too.

“They are consistently good in the middle,” Lugo said. “That’s the best thing about them. They’re in on every tackle. They’re never out of the play.”

Said Odama: “The heat made them tire faster and it made them slower. We just kept going.”

The bad news for Cleveland is that it plays another afternoon game Friday at Taft.

“We’ll be better prepared,” Hull vowed.

Kudos for the defense: Burroughs Coach Butch McElwee has a message for anyone doubting his team’s defense.

“We’re as good on defense as we are on offense,” he said. “Anyone who thinks our defense is not very good is making a mistake.”

Bold words, considering the adroitness of Burroughs’ offense. Quarterback Jeff Barrett has passed for 685 yards and eight touchdowns. Tailback Doug Dragomer is averaging 6.4 yards a carry and fullback Wes Bender is averaging 5.4 yards a carry. In their past two games, the Indians have scored 78 points.

How can the defense top that act?

By yielding only two points in the past two games.

After holding La Canada to just 67 yards offense in a 34-0 victory, Burroughs (4-0) wouldn’t even let Glendale break even Friday night. In a 44-2 laugher, the Indians held the Nitros to minus-16 yards.

“Our defense will attack you to death,” McElwee said. “Teams that face us had better be prepared to face people who are gonna be coming after them.”

Just who is McElwee lauding?

Linebackers John Butler (6-0, 175) and Fernando Gaona (5-9, 190) for starters, and linemen Ron Walters (6-0, 238) and Scott Pavkovich (6-0, 180). The secondary is led by defensive captain Bruce Luizzi, who has one interception.

“We want to be a great team,” Gaona said. “Better than last year. We don’t want the offense to do most of the job. We just want to do our job and let our offense have the ball as quickly as possible.”

McElwee credits defensive coordinator Marty Garrison for the improvement.

“He’s my kingpin,” McElwee said. “Without him, I’m nothing.

“A lot of people are saying ‘Well, look who they’re playing.’ But let me tell you, good defense is good defense.”

Long time coming: Moorpark’s 14-7 Tri-Valley League win over Fillmore on Friday night ended a 14-game winless streak for Moorpark. The Musketeers (1-3, 1-0), who were 0-9-1 last year, had not won a game since Nov. 8, 1985, when they defeated Bishop Diego, 20-12.

“You don’t really remember how nice it is to win one,” Moorpark Coach Bob Noel said. “After you go a whole year without a win and start out this year with three losses, you begin to wonder if you can do it.”

Moorpark’s Jeff Cox returned the opening kickoff 85 yards for a touchdown and quarterback Keith Orford added a 1-yard touchdown run for Moorpark’s points. The Musketeer defense limited Fillmore to 70 yards.

Fillmore snapped a 15-game losing streak last year by beating Moorpark, 19-15. Fillmore (0-4) has been outscored this season, 134-7.

“They snapped theirs by beating us and we snapped ours by beating them,” Noel said. “I just hope that now we can win 15 or 20 in a row.”

You make the call: With his team leading L. A. Lutheran, 42-0, Friday, Campbell Hall punter Don White drops back into punt formation. He takes the snap and punts the ball. Actually, the punt goes straight up and straight down.

The ball lands five yards past the line of scrimmage and bounces straight back toward White. Before he realizes what has happened, White again has possession of the football. Instinctively, he high-tails it around right end as most of the L. A. Lutheran defense watches dumbfounded. White races untouched 46 yards for a touchdown.

“He was heads-up enough--or ignorant enough--to just run with it,” Campbell Hall Coach Kirk Duncan said.

Coaches are confused, fans are laughing and referees confer to decide the play’s legality.

Now then, football scholars: Is this a touchdown?

Six points if you said “yes.” When a punted ball remains behind the line of scrimmage--or bounces back behind it as in this case--the ball can be advanced by the kicking team.

“We knew what the rule was, so we had to go by it,” L. A. Lutheran Coach Stan Dobler said. “We were just shocked; we’d never seen it happen. Everything ended so fast.”

White’s bizarre play, which occurred late in the third quarter, brought an end to the 8-man game. Because of the 45-point rule, Campbell Hall was credited with a 48-0 nonleague win Friday at Campbell Hall.

Talk about fantastic finishes.

“Everybody ran downfield to cover the punt,” Dobler said. “He was the only one back there. I’d never seen anything like it.”

Said Duncan: “My mouth just dropped open. Everybody was laughing. They were good sports. They just shrugged their shoulders, came over, shook hands and agreed that it was the weirdest thing they’d ever seen.”