Burroughs’ Coach Vejtasa Takes Offense to Canyon’s Onside Kick in Rout

The scene: Late in the third quarter of Friday’s Golden League opener between Canyon and Burroughs at Ridgecrest.

The score: Canyon 44, Burroughs 6.

The play: An unsuccessful onside kick. The kicking team: Canyon.

Canyon ?

“It’s 44-6 and he tries an onside kick!” Burroughs Coach Gene Vejtasa said. “I can’t believe that.”

The charge: Running up the score. The accused: Canyon Coach Harry Welch.

The plea: Not guilty.

“It was just something where I thought I’d rather have the ball than let the other team have it,” Welch said. “It doesn’t mean we’re going to run up the score. In fact, I do a better job of controlling the clock when we have the ball.”

Vejtasa is interested only in the facts: Canyon rolled up 500 yards and ripped Burroughs, 58-6. He is not interested in Welch’s justification.

“He can say what he wants,” Vejtasa said. “You just have to realize that in this game, people are like that.”

Welch, whose team rolled to its fourth consecutive win, insisted that he did not deliberately pad the point total.

Welch said that he weaved his second string onto the field throughout the second quarter and used every player during the game. In addition, Welch said, Canyon did not attempt a pass in the fourth quarter, nor call a time out in the second half.

Small consolation to Vejtasa.

Said Welch: “You know, if this had happened to me and the other team didn’t have to punt all night, I’d have to say, ‘Maybe we didn’t play good defense.’

“Honestly, I thought--I don’t think, I know-- I was holding down the score. It bothers me, but so what? It’s not going to stop me from running the offense the way I want to run it.”

Stage fright: Burbank was about as hot as the recent Santa Ana winds during the nonleague season, posting a 4-1 record and surrendering an average of 62 yards rushing a game. But the Bulldogs and first-year Coach Randy Stage were cooled with the opening of Foothill League play.

Burbank lost to San Gabriel, 14-6. The Bulldogs rushed for minus-7 yards and lost 4 of 6 fumbles.

“The kids just weren’t ready,” Stage said. “This week we’re going to get them ready for reality. Here we are in the Foothill League where reality is. It doesn’t matter if you go 4-1 in nonleague if you can’t win in the Foothill League.”

Friends in high places: When Cleveland Coach Steve Landress learned that a controversial fumble recovery had played a critical role in Granada Hills’ 20-7 defeat of Taft on Friday, he was sure a 12th man was responsible, and he didn’t mean the crowd, a coach or a referee.

Landress is certain that a highly placed Highlander has a soft spot for Granada Hills Coach Darryl Stroh.

“I’m convinced,” Landress quipped, “that God loves Stroh. He’s got the fickle finger of fate on his side. When he needs a big break, a fumble or something, he always seems to get it when he needs it.”

Add Landress: Cleveland upset San Fernando, 20-10, Friday, and the the win was largely attributable to Cleveland’s stingy defense, which tempered the Tigers’ big-play threats.

Landress said that the team was in its “Tiger defense” for much of the game. As Cleveland prepares this week to play the Kennedy Golden Cougars on Friday, the team will institute a “Cougar defense.” In other words, Landress each week changes the name of certain defensive sets according to the nickname of Cleveland’s latest opponent.

“I figure if I keep saying it over and over, pretty soon we’ll remember who we’re playing,” he cracked. “Most of our guys have an L written on one foot and an R on the other. If they all show up for the game it’s a great start.”

Sure. They’re dumb like foxes.

The defense has allowed an average of 180.4 yards a game, tops among Valley teams in the City Section 4-A Division.

Misery loves company: Rio Mesa football Coach John Reardon on his team’s 1-5 start, including a win over Channel Islands in the season’s first week: “Of the 500 or so schools in the Southern Section, I’d say 300 are having seasons just like ours.”

Common thread: Taft’s Adam Zutler, who Coach Tom Stevenson calls the best blocking tight end in the Valley, leads a group of Toreador offensive linemen who have paved the way for tailback Kelvin Byrd (594 yards in 5 games).

Zutler (6 feet, 2 inches, 225 pounds) teams with center Corey Alter (6-3, 240), guard Jon Salter (6-0, 175), and All-City tackle Erin Reeder (6-4, 240) to give Taft a powerful right side that has been erasing opponents all year.

All of their names end in the letters ER, ergo the nickname: the ER line.

Bloody nose guard: Crespi linebacker Quinn Fauria was moved to nose guard to help bolster the Celts’ failing defensive corps against Alemany. By the second half, Fauria--who also starts at running back--was the proud owner of a red badge of courage. Because of a nasty cut across his nose, Fauria’s face was smeared with blood, which he steadfastly refused to wipe off.

“No way,” he said. “It makes me look tough.”

It might have helped. The Celts virtually shut down Alemany, limiting the Indians to 150 yards in a 49-0 Crespi victory. Fauria helped spearhead a pass rush that sacked Alemany quarterback Joey Rosselli 6 times for minus-41 yards.

Going by the Book: Saturday’s 7:30 p.m. game between L.A. Baptist and Village Christian at Kennedy High has been dubbed the Christian Bible Bowl with a perpetual trophy going to the winner of the annual rivalry. Village Christian Coach Mike Plaisance came up with the idea to “promote the friendly but competitive rivalry between the two schools.”

Westlake opening: The Warriors are searching for a varsity boys’ tennis coach to replace Jaime Barajas, who guided Westlake to the Southern Section 4-A final in his only season last spring. Interested parties should contact Athletic Director Bob Fisher at Westlake.

Staff writers Tim Brown, Steve Elling, Steven Fleischman and Vince Kowalick contributed to this notebook.