STATWATCH

Say what you want about the Burroughs defense. Everyone else does.

They’ve allowed only 114 yards in the past three games, but look who they’ve been playing.

True, Coach Butch McElwee’s team has not been shutting down any high-powered offenses. Burroughs’ past three opponents--Crescenta Valley, Glendale and La Canada--have a combined record of 3-11-1.

The Indians have yielded a stingy 131.2 yards, the lowest average among Valley-area Southern Section teams. Burroughs (5-0) has outscored its past three opponents, 119-16.

“I keep telling everybody that we’re playing good defense and that’s all there is to it,” McElwee said. “Other teams are making mistakes because they’re afraid of us.”

Concerned could be a better word.

“They’re definitely the team to beat right now,” said Rick Scott, the coach at Hart, Burroughs’ Foothill League rival. “We’re the worst defensive team in the world right now.”

Hart (4-1), which plays Burroughs Oct. 23, is ranked last among Valley-area Southern Section teams (343.2 yards a game).

Interceptions: The Marmonte League, known for its running backs, also has some defensive backs of repute. The four leading interceptors in the Valley area are Royal’s James Jones (6), Camarillo’s Gil Valencia (5), Newbury Park’s Steve Allison (4) and Thousand Oaks’ Chris Gann (4). . . . Granada Hills is known for its passing game, with Kyle Jan and Sean Brown leading Valley City Section players with 20 receptions each. Brown and Jan also play defense, and each has three interceptions, which also leads Valley City Section players. Jamal Farmer, the team’s tailback, has two interceptions.

Scoring: Canoga Park running back Mike Conover has accounted for 64% of his team’s points. Conover has scored 39 points on 4 touchdowns, 6 extra points and 3 field goals. . . . In its past two games against City 3-A opponents, Cleveland, a 4-A team, has been outscored, 60-6. . . . In five games, Agoura (3-2) has scored only five points in the fourth quarter.

Passing: When Kennedy plays Palisades on Friday, the Golden Cougar quarterbacks might feel outgunned. In three games, Gino Tagliaferri, Tony Smets and Darryeon Taylor are a combined 12 of 43 for 151 yards and 1 touchdown. Meanwhile, Palisades junior Perry Klein has completed 90 of 136 passes for 1,314 yards and 11 touchdowns.

Rushing: In three games, Grant has rushed for 122 yards and scored 22 points. Meanwhile, Chip Grant of North Hollywood has 823 yards rushing and 78 points. . . . At his current pace, senior Tony Kerr will surpass M. J. Nelson as Simi Valley’s career and season rushing leader. Kerr, the third-leading rusher in the Valley area, has gained 694 yards on 101 carries and has 1,313 yards in his career. Nelson, now attending Colorado, had a season mark of 1,080 and 1,777 for his career. . . . Bell Jeff’s Phil Reynolds has rushed for 531 yards and has returned two punts for touchdowns (52 and 54 yards). He is averaging 27.6 yards a return.

Calabasas fullback Scott Pensis holds the school career-rushing record of 1,301 yards and will be trying to keep it out of his teammate’s reach. Pensis broke the previous mark of 1,031 set by Jim Ervin in 1985. Junior tailback Mike Webb has a career total of 697 yards and his 97-yards-a-game average puts him on a pace to break the record early next season.

Receiving: Canoga Park’s Jeremy Mears caught his first two passes of the season in last week’s 49-14 loss to Granada Hills. Mears had a team-leading 34 catches for 292 yards in 1986.