The High Schools : Canyon’s Streak Gone but Not Forgotten

Enough talk about Canyon’s 46-game winning streak.

No more mention of the Cowboys’ 3-year reign, which tied a Southern Section record and produced conference championships in 1983, ’84 and ’85.

“The Streak” died dramatically in 1986 with a 21-20 loss to Antelope Valley. The Cowboys rallied for 20 fourth-quarter points but failed on a last-second, 2-point conversion attempt.

But that’s all in the past. Or is it?

“All that silly stuff,” Canyon Coach Harry Welch said. “It’s all being brought up everywhere. . . . people on campus, local sportswriters. I don’t think anything is forgotten.”

Not with Canyon (5-2, 2-0 in league play) traveling to Antelope Valley (6-1, 2-0) for tonight’s Golden League showdown. The game, just as it did 2 years ago, probably will decide the league championship.

“That field, that turf,” Welch said, jokingly. “We have to watch out.”

Antelope Valley Coach Brent Newcomb has heard enough about The Streak and The Game. “All that is history and under the bridge now,” he said.

Yet newspaper clippings of the game are displayed in the trophy case inside Antelope Valley’s gym.

“But nobody ever talks about that anymore,” Newcomb said.

Trivia question: OK, just one more word about Canyon’s streak.

Which 4 current Canyon players were in uniform for the Cowboys’ 1986 game against Antelope Valley? Answer below.

Lost week: A prowler awakened Oak Park Coach Ron Veres last week and Veres discovered the following morning that water had been poured in the gas tanks of 2 family cars, resulting in a $1,200 repair bill. That setback also served as a bad omen for last Friday’s Tri-Valley League game against Carpinteria.

The Eagles lost for the first time this season, bowing to the Warriors, 24-0. By the end of the game only 14 players were available. Among the wounded was standout running back Jason Stein, who injured his knee on a play at the end of the first half.

“I felt like Custer at Little Big Horn,” Veres said. “We got overwhelmed and then all of the sudden we’re having to scramble to play guys out of position.”

The injury to Stein, who is considered a Division I prospect, is not as serious as first believed, Veres said. Stein was examined by the team doctor Saturday and his injury was diagnosed as strained ligament.

Stein is expected back in 2 weeks. In the interim, receiver Brian Kane will move to the backfield either to replace Stein at tailback or Jess Garner at fullback, if Garner moves to tailback.

Moving along: Moorpark Coach Rob Dearborn can’t wait until next season when his football team no longer plays or practices at the school’s old campus.

“Have you seen the movie ‘Poltergeist,’ with the houses built on the burial grounds?” Dearborn said. “There’s got to be something buried under that field. How can a school be that old and never go better than 5-5 since 1919?”

Despite the team’s record this season--Moorpark is 1-6 overall, 0-2 in Tri-Valley League play--the first-year coach is excited about next year when the Musketeers will play at Moorpark College and practice at the new campus.

“I knew what was involved in becoming a head coach, the paper work and all,” he said. “But I had no idea what would be involved in moving schools.”

Jitterbug: Royal’s Robbie Smith started the season on the sophomore team, which made sense for a 5-foot, 5-inch, 135-pound running back. But a 1-4 start and a need for speed prompted Royal Coach Gene Uebelhardt to promote Smith to the varsity.

After 2 carries for 5 yards in his first varsity game against Thousand Oaks, Smith played extensively against Simi Valley last week, rushing for 63 yards in 7 carries, including a 25-yard touchdown run on Royal’s first possession.

Uebelhardt had no qualms about using Smith against Royal’s cross-town rival in the biggest game of the season for the Simi Valley schools. But perhaps he should have. Smith admitted that the large crowd gave him the jitters.

“Yes, sir, I was nervous,” he said. “I was nervous all the way through.”

Injury update: Newbury Park’s Mike Esparza will not run in the Ventura County cross-country championships at Moorpark College today, however, he is expected to compete in the Marmonte League finals next Friday.

The two-time defending league champion, Esparza withdrew from the Mt. San Antonio College Invitational on Saturday because of a strained muscle in his lower back.

“We’ve just had him running on soft, flat surfaces this week,” Coach Mike Stewart said. “He should be fine by next week. . . . The league finals are the meet that really counts.”

The top 3 teams and the top 3 individuals from the Marmonte League finals will qualify for the Southern Section 4-A Division prelims at Mt. SAC on Nov. 11.

Trivia answer: Rod Baltau, Justin Fix, Chris Peery and Jason Stanley. Stanley was a starting defensive back, Peery a starting linebacker and Fix a starting defensive lineman. Baltau, the backup quarterback, did not play.

Staff writers John Lynch, Steven Fleischman, Vince Kowalick and John Ortega contributed to this notebook.