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STATWATCH : Ground Game Takes Root at Granada Hills

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Granada Hills won the City Section 4-A Division title last season after struggling to a 2-3 start. This year’s team, expected to struggle by comparison, is 4-1 and cruising.

The Highlanders have outscored their opponents, 130-35, and have scored 30 or more points in each of their past 3 games. However, the team has used a dramatically different attack than it employed last year.

Led by quarterback Jeremy Leach, the 4-A Player of the Year, the 1987 Highlanders averaged 222.2 yards and 3 touchdowns a game through the air and routinely overwhelmed secondaries with a squadron of talented receivers. A year later, Granada Hills is averaging 213.4 yards a game on the ground and has 2 players listed among the top 8 City running backs in the Valley--senior Marrio Walker (385 yards) and sophomore Brett Washington (374).

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The passing game is beginning to take shape, however. Last week, junior quarterback Chris Gadomski completed 13 of 14 passes for 230 yards and a touchdown in a 31-0 victory over El Camino Real.

Defense: San Fernando inside linebacker Dave Willingham leads the team in tackles after 5 games with 36 unassisted tackles and 49 overall. Willingham also has the best Scholastic Aptitude Test score on the team with 1,170. The highest possible score is 1,600. . . . In 5 games, Oak Park has 4 shutouts. The Eagles’ backfield duo of Jason Stein and Jess Garner has combined for 130 points.

Records: San Fernando quarterback Michael Wynn’s 5 touchdown passes in Friday’s 39-0 win over Canoga Park set a school record. Receiver Sean Williams caught 4 scoring passes, which also established a school single-game record.

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Reggie Dominique’s 5 interceptions are a Notre Dame record--probably. Kevin Rooney said no one has intercepted 5 passes in a season since 1980, the year he became coach. Records from previous years were not kept.

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