STATWATCH : Grant Offense Continues to Make Gains

After 3 years of offensive ineptitude, the drought might have ended for Coach Bill Foster and the Grant football team. The Lancers scored 24 points, the most in Foster’s 4-year tenure, in Friday’s season-opening shutout of Marshall.

Although they had a long way to come, the Lancers have improved each year under Foster. In 1985, the team averaged 4 points a game, was shut out 5 times and finished the season with a 1-8 record.

In 1986, the Lancers averaged 7.1 points a game, were shut out twice and were 2-6-1. Last season, they averaged 10.4 points a game and were blanked once en route to a 4-5 record.

Offense: Poly, which averaged 210 yards a game last season, amassed 431 yards Friday in a 31-0 victory over Eagle Rock. The Parrots rushed for 299 yards, passed for 132 and averaged 8.6 yards a play. . . . Monroe averaged 189 yards a game last year but opened the season with a 320-yard effort in a 26-20 win over Chatsworth. The Vikings averaged 6.5 yards a play. . . . Birmingham passed for 170 yards but had minus-2 yards rushing in a 22-20 loss to University.

Fullback Jerry Williams leads Channel Islands with 5 touchdowns and 236 yards rushing--73 more than John Johnson, who has been nursing a tender ankle. Williams is averaging 9.4 yards a carry.

Canyon rolled up 428 yards total offense but lost to Bakersfield, 28-20. It was a bad week for Santa Clarita Valley teams. Canyon, Hart and Saugus all lost. . . . Royal’s Pat Ledesma has completed 12 of 31 passes for 3 touchdowns and 395 yards--an average of 32.9 yards a completion. He also has 123 yards rushing, including 94 yards in 20 carries against Agoura.

Receptions: The Jones brothers of Royal--James and Jason--have caught 9 of Ledesma’s 12 completions. James has 5 for 179 yards, a 35.8-yard average, and Jason has 4 for 110, an average of 27.5 yards. . . . Jason Stanley of Canyon and Jason Stanley of Bell-Jeff combined for 7 receptions for 95 yards. Canyon’s Stanley caught 6 passes for 64 yards. Bell-Jeff’s Stanley caught 1 pass for 31 yards.

Scoring: Village Christian has outscored opponents, 94-0, and outgained them, 724 yards to 116. Led by Michael Curl’s 4 interceptions, the Crusaders held Cathedral to 63 yards and 2 first downs last week. . . . After scoring 21 points in the first half of its opener against Burroughs, St. Francis has not scored in 6 quarters.

Defense: San Fernando linebacker Keary Johns posted impressive numbers 2 weeks ago in a 25-10 loss to Banning, recording 3 sacks and causing a fumble. In Friday’s 29-0 win over Manual Arts, he was even better. Johns had 3 sacks, blocked a punt, recovered a fumble and forced a safety by knocking the ball into the end zone.

Interceptions: Chaminade’s Jeff Burdick intercepted 3 passes last week, returning them for 104 yards. Burdick has 4 interceptions in 2 games. . . . Notre Dame’s Reggie Dominique intercepted his second pass of the season, equaling his total of last year.

Records: The three Valley-area Alpha League teams--Montclair Prep, Village Christian and L. A. Baptist--won this weekend, outscoring opponents, 96-10, and outgaining them, 915 yards to 290.