The High Schools : Reseda Loss to Monroe Bears Historical Significance

Immediately after Reseda lost to Monroe, 28-10, on Friday night, Regents Coach Joel Schaeffer gave his troops a little history lesson, all the while hoping like the dickens that history would repeat itself.

If it does, then Monroe, which clinched at least a tie for the Mid-Valley League title with the win, had better hope that Reseda (7-1, 5-1) doesn’t cross its path in the playoffs.

Consider Reseda’s track record.

In 1986, Reseda lost to University, 29-24, in the regular-season finale, costing the Regents a Pac-8 League title. A few weeks later, however, Reseda avenged the loss with a 37-0 rout of University in the City Section 2-A Division championship game.

“We brought up the University game right afterwards,” Schaeffer said of Friday night’s lecture. “I told them about how I’d never seen a more down group of guys after that loss.”

Somehow, the Regents were able to bounce back from the demoralizing loss in ‘86--they had surrendered more points to University than they had in 8 previous games. Schaeffer is hoping Reseda again can start anew.

Losing, he admits, is a new experience.

“We’ll have to see how they handle it,” Schaeffer said. “We have to regroup. When you win 17 of your last 18 games, you don’t get too used to losing.

“But heck, the only place you win all your games is in heaven.”

And nobody has ever mistaken Reseda for the pearly gates.

“That’s true,” Schaeffer said. “Ask any official.”

Add Reseda: The loss was the first for the Regents at home since the eighth game of the 1985 season when Reseda lost to North Hollywood, 3-2.

“One of the ugliest games I ever saw,” Schaeffer said.

It was anything but gruesome through Friday, however, as the team then embarked on a 14-0 run at home. Reseda was 5-0 at home in 1986, 6-0 last year and 3-0 before the loss to Monroe, which came during the Reseda homecoming celebration.

“The script was all set,” Schaeffer said. “It was at our place, it was homecoming, for the league championship and everything. Somebody just screwed up the final scene.”

High-rolling Highlanders: Granada Hills’ 21-0 victory over Kennedy on Friday extended its unbeaten streak over its cross-town rival to 6 games.

But don’t take it personally, Kennedy. In league play through the past 3 years, the decimation distribution has been fairly equal.

Granada Hills, which won the Valley League title last year with a 4-0 record on its way to the City 4-A championship, also tied for the league title in 1986 with a 3-0-1 mark. In 14 league games during the past 3 seasons--in which they are 13-0-1--the Highlanders have outscored opponents, 364-96, a ratio of nearly 4 to 1.

The Highlanders (8-1, 6-0) have won 15 of their past 16 games overall (7 by shutout) and have outscored their Northwest Valley Conference foes, 147-28, in 6 games this year.

It’s a material world: After Crespi’s 28-0 win over St. Francis, Coach Bill Redell gathered his players at midfield for the usual postgame talk. Crespi was about to honor running back Russell White at the Celts’ last regular-season home game and Redell wanted to ensure that his players fully realized the magnitude of the moment.

“It’s a real honor to get your jersey retired,” Redell said. “It’s something that’s never been done here before. Especially at Crespi, because it costs 20 bucks.”

Nice arm, better leg: San Fernando kicker Andrew Munoz was an outfielder for the Tigers’ baseball team last season, which ventured to the City 4-A championship game.

Munoz, however, has been batting nearly 1.000 for the football team. In 9 games, he has made 28 of 30 PATs and 9 of 10 field-goal attempts, giving him a team-high 55 points.

In a 34-0 win over Chatsworth on Friday, Munoz kicked field goals of 30 and 37 yards and was 4 for 4 on PATs.

Vice versa: That’s some receiver Sylmar has in Chris Pikes. Pikes caught 2 passes in a 39-13 win over Grant on Friday, both for touchdowns.

And that’s quite a quarterback the Spartans have in Jerome Casey, who completed 2 of 2 passes for 44 yards and 2 touchdowns, both to Pikes.

The thing is, Pikes is the quarterback and Casey is the running back. Nonetheless, the duo teamed for their third scoring pass--albeit in reverse via a customized halfback option--of the season.

Step one: Casey takes a handoff from Pikes and rolls right.

“Everybody, all 11 guys, usually flock toward Jerome,” Coach Jeff Engilman said of the opposition.

Step two: Pikes dashes around left end as Casey fakes a student-body right.

“Then Jerome just stomps, turns and throws the ball back to Chris,” Engilman said.

Sylmar gladly took 6 points from Poly on the same play in a 21-14 win last week.

Casey, who has rushed for 996 yards, has thrown more scoring passes than Pikes (3 to 1). In passing, Casey is 4 for 4 for 58 yards and 3 touchdowns. Meanwhile, Pikes has caught 3 passes for 55 yards and 3 touchdowns.

Clipped wing: Saugus wide receiver-defensive back Angel Martinez is out for the season after separating his left shoulder in the Centurions’ 34-20 loss to Antelope Valley on Friday night.

Martinez, who caught scoring passes of 59 and 5 yards, was injured while tackling a ballcarrier in the second quarter.

Saugus (1-7-1) plays Golden League rival Canyon on Friday.

“It’s hard to take, especially with Canyon coming up,” said Martinez, the team’s leading receiver with 23 receptions for 405 yards (17.6 average) and 6 touchdowns. “But the way I feel right now, I couldn’t play for weeks.”

Martinez, arguably the team’s best player, leads the team in scoring with 38 points and interceptions with 3.

Add injuries: Canyon, Saugus’ cross-town rival, also was bitten by the injury bug during its 10-9 win over Palmdale on Friday.

Both injured players were named Justin.

Justin Lee, an inside linebacker, took a blow to the left knee in the second quarter. He visited doctors Saturday, but no verdict was reached regarding surgery.

Senior Justin Fix, an all-conference nose guard, suffered a blow to the head and was taken to Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Hospital. He later was released.

Coach Harry Welch said Saturday that he would probably hold Fix out of the Saugus game.