The High Schools : Canoga Park Finds an Able Arm to Replace Marine

After quarterback Del Marine transferred from Canoga Park to El Camino Real during the summer to play baseball, it appeared that the Hunters would be in dire straits at the position.

As it turns out, there are more than a few people who believe that sophomore David Erhardt is one of the area’s rising stars. Some think he might even be better than Marine, who is not playing football at El Camino Real.

“I think Erhardt is a better player right now than Marine would have been at this stage of the year,” said Cleveland Coach Steve Landress, who has seen both players in action. Last season, Cleveland lost, 33-0, to Marine and Canoga Park. Last Friday, Cleveland held off a last-minute charge by Canoga Park and Erhardt to win, 14-12.

In 7 games, Erhardt has completed 54 of 115 passes for 564 yards for a team that has provided less-than-overwhelming protection.

“He’s the best quarterback we’ve faced this year,” said Landress, who already has seen Kennedy senior Tony Smets and San Fernando junior Michael Wynn, among others. “The Fernando kid gets the job done, but Erhardt can throw short, the deep out, everything.

“We pounded all over him. He had blood all over and he kept coming back for more. If he ever gets a line in front of him . . .”

Said Taft Coach Tom Stevenson, whose team faces Canoga Park on Friday: “From what I’ve seen on film, he is tremendously mature. He’s going to be quite a football player.”

How soon they forget: He came close to, or improved upon, a handful of records as a quarterback at San Fernando.

In his 3 seasons on the varsity, he passed for 2,234 yards--third on the all-time list to Anthony Davis and Kenny Moore. He completed 51% of his passes (130 of 253), easily the best mark in school history. He threw for 24 touchdowns, second only to Davis’ 25, set in 1968-70. He was the only player named first-team Times All-Valley in basketball and football last season.

The player? Joe Mauldin.

Or as the name is spelled in the 1988 San Fernando football program under career passing: Maldin. In the total offense section, where he ranks fourth with 2,869 yards, it is spelled Malden .

Add San Fernando: Historically, the Tigers never have been much of a passing team, but that has changed since they dropped the wishbone last season in favor of a multiple-set offense. Senior receiver Sean Williams has caught 31 passes in 8 games.

Williams caught 12 passes last season, which gives him 43 overall, good for fourth place on the school’s career list. He needs only 11 more receptions to overtake leader Malcolm Moore, who caught 53 passes from 1976-78.

Injured Knight: Notre Dame junior defensive tackle Owen Taylor probably is lost for the season because of a broken hand he suffered against St. Genevieve, according to Coach Kevin Rooney.

“He’s our best pass rusher,” Rooney said of Taylor (6 feet, 1 inch, 240 pounds).

One down, four to go: Oakwood center Mitchell Butler dropped Kansas from his list of college choices after the Jayhawk basketball program was placed on probation by the NCAA on Tuesday.

Butler, who said he probably will sign early, has narrowed his choices to UCLA, Arizona, Cal and Duke. The 1-week, early signing period for seniors begins Nov. 9.

When good can be bad: After missing 3 games this season and nearly all of 1987 because of nagging injuries to both ankles, St. Francis running back Francisco Diaz had his best game Saturday against Alemany, rushing for 94 yards to lead the Golden Knights to a 19-9 win.

“He was well enough to play without high-tops for the first time in two years,” Coach Terry Terrazone said.

All was well, that is, until late in the fourth quarter, when Diaz reinjured his left ankle, which had been healthy. Sort of. This is where things get confusing.

“He hurt his good one again,” Terrazone said. “The one he hurt last year, I mean. I think it was his left, the healthy one. Well, it was his healthy one.”

Terrazone said the sprain is not believed to be serious and that Diaz is expected to play against Crespi on Friday.

Streak snapped: Sylmar tailback Jerome Casey’s streak of 100-yard games ended at 6 in the Spartans’ 21-14 victory over Poly. Casey, who was averaging 21 carries for 144 yards a game before Friday’s contest, gained 16 yards in 8 carries and was running tentatively, according to Coach Jeff Engilman.

“Jerome wasn’t hurt. The only thing hurt was his pride,” Engilman said. “He just wasn’t running the ball well, so we had to go to some other things.”

Those other things included an 11-yard touchdown pass from Casey to quarterback Chris Pikes on a halfback option.

“You’ve got to score somehow,” Engilman said. “So we used Jerome a lot as a decoy.”

Engilman said Casey’s lack of aggressiveness is the result of early season ankle injuries that have not healed.

“He isn’t able to make some of the cuts he used to because of the injuries,” Engilman said. “What he needs to do is rest. But you can’t rest in the middle of the season.”

Cheery O’s: Royal’s 14-0 win over Westlake was the Highlanders’ second consecutive shutout. The week before, Royal blanked Simi Valley, 21-0.

The last time Royal shut out consecutive opponents? “Nobody can remember,” first-year Royal Coach Gene Uebelhardt said.

The Highlanders are in the thick of the battle for third place in the Marmonte League with a record of 3-5, 2-2 in league play. The league’s top 3 teams qualify for the Division II playoffs--Royal has not appeared in postseason play since 1983.

“We’re kind of like a kid at summer camp,” Uebelhardt said. “We’re just happy to be here.”

All systems go: After 2 weeks of rehabilitation for a back injury, Mike Esparza of Newbury Park will return to competition in the Marmonte League cross-country finals at Moorpark College on Friday.

Although Esparza is the two-time defending league champion, he will not be favored.

That honor belongs to Thousand Oaks’ Mike Williamson, winner of the team sweepstakes race at the Mt. San Antonio College Invitational in Walnut on Oct. 22 and runner-up to Agoura’s Bryan Dameworth in the Ventura County meet at Moorpark last Friday.

“Williamson should definitely be favored,” Newbury Park Coach Mike Stewart said. “His time at Mt. SAC was more than 30 seconds faster than Mike has ever run.”

Camarillo juniors Shawn Goetzinger and Abe Valdez are expected to challenge Williamson.

The top 3 individuals and the top 3 teams advance from the league finals to the Southern Section preliminary meet Nov. 11 at Mt. SAC.

Staff writers Tim Brown, Steve Elling, John Ortega and Vince Kowalick contributed to this notebook.