STATWATCH : Marmonte Teams Slow Out of Gate

Evidence continues to mount that the Marmonte League is in a down cycle. One year after the league sent two teams to the Coastal Conference final, only Channel Islands appears strong enough to again contend.

The exhibits: Newbury Park is winless in its past 15 games; Westlake has lost 6 consecutive games; Royal, because of its recent forfeit to Agoura, has not won a game in 12 outings; Simi Valley has not won in 5 games or 6 of its past 7. Even Thousand Oaks, last year’s conference champion, is not exempt from the Marmonte misery. The Lancers have lost 2 of their past 3.

Simi Valley and Thousand Oaks, in their game Friday, passed for a combined 1 yard. The honors go to the Pioneers’ Eric Hale and LaMont Harris, who threw the pass and caught it, respectively. There were more interceptions than completions, 3-2. Simi Valley ran for 8 yards for a total offense total of 9.

Passing: Reseda quarterback Coley Kyman completed 5 of 5 passes for 142 yards and 2 touchdowns in a 35-0 win over Poly, giving him a passing efficiency rating of 220.2 (based on the NCAA formula). He has completed 19 of 27 (70.4%) for 348 yards and 4 touchdowns and has thrown 1 interception. . . . Chaminade’s Greg Baumgartner has passed for 734 yards and 10 touchdowns and has thrown only 1 interception for a 167.1 rating.

Saugus had passed for only 161 yards before Friday’s game against Hart, but quarterback George Lopata completed 14 of 30 for 224 yards and his first touchdown. Hart quarterback Rob Westervelt completed 16 of 34 for 186 yards and threw 3 interceptions but Hart won, 17-7. . . . Canyon quarterback Rod Baltau threw his sixth touchdown pass of the season against Notre Dame to equal his total of last year.

Offense: Village Christian has outscored its opponents, 161-7, registering 3 shutouts in 4 games. . . . With 2 field goals, 2 extra-points and a touchdown, Jess Garner scored 14 of Oak Park’s 20 points in a 20-14 win over Calabasas. Garner and Jason Stein have combined for 972 yards--75.8% of Oak Park’s total offense.

Rushing: Sylmar’s Jerome Casey gained 158 yards in 26 carries against Van Nuys, his third consecutive 100-yard game. Casey has gained 402 yards in 57 carries, accounting for 69% of the Spartans’ rushing yardage.

Receiving: Monroe’s Terry London has caught 7 passes for 178 yards and 2 touchdowns, averaging 25.4 yards a catch. Birmingham’s Sharif Fahim has 11 catches for 139 yards and a touchdown.

Defense: Reseda has allowed only 147 yards a game. The Regents have been particularly stingy against the run, allowing only 38.7 yards a game and 2.1 yards a carry.

Chaminade has a plus-14 turnover ratio. The Eagles have 9 interceptions and 7 fumble recoveries and have lost only 1 fumble and thrown 1 interception.

Records: Calabasas running back Mike Webb has become the school leader in career rushing with 1,623 yards and touchdowns with 20.