The High Schools : Peery Takes First Comeback Steps

That’s Chris Peery you’ll be seeing running across the Canyon High practice field in the next few weeks. Peery will be running . . . and running . . . and running.

Peery made his season debut Friday against Notre Dame after undergoing emergency groin surgery four weeks ago. And he fared well, rushing for 69 yards in 13 carries.

“I was relaxed,” Peery said. “I didn’t expect to be an impact player. I thought it would take time to get my rhythm back. But I felt pretty good. I felt like I had already played a few games.”

Coach Harry Welch, however, is not convinced. He said Peery, a senior tailback, is a long way from being in shape.

“He was gasping for breath after every play,” Welch said. “His legs will be dead for a week or two. It’ll be three or four weeks before he’s 100%.”

One thing is certain. Peery (6-foot-1, 220 pounds) will shape up. Welch, known to conduct lengthy and physically intense practices, figures the best way to whip Peery into shape is to “Run him!”

A Spartan stadium: El Camino Real’s 27-7 home loss to Westchester last week was only the seventh game played at the school, according to Skip Giancanelli, who coached the Conquistadores’ varsity from its inception in 1969 until two seasons ago.

The other opponents: North Hollywood, Granada Hills, Gardena, Banning, Chatsworth and Jordan.

Giancanelli said that Westchester asked not to play on Thursday night, and Pierce College, El Camino Real’s home field, was already booked for Friday night’s Crespi-Servite game. So the teams played Friday afternoon.

El Camino Real has no lights or scoreboard. Considering the final outcome, was the absence of the latter a blessing? Afraid not.

“You still know what the score is,” El Camino Real co-Coach Mike Maio said. “You know it just like you do when you’re ahead.”

Sunbaked in San Diego: Unbeaten Village Christian took a little trip to San Diego last weekend. Oh, yeah, they played a little football, too.

In that order.

Or so says Coach Mike Plaisance, who blamed part of his team’s 15-6 loss to San Diego Christian on Saturday to extracurricular activities.

In losing their first game in four outings, the Crusaders were penalized 11 times, fumbled twice and had a bad snap recovered in their end zone for a touchdown.

Because many parents made a weekend of the trip south, Plaisance eased up on team rules, one of which calls for players to travel to and from games together. Instead, he let the players go home with their families, many of whom stayed the weekend.

“We’ve just got to focus on football next time,” Plaisance said.

Staff writers Steve Elling, Vince Kowalick and Brian Murphy contributed to this notebook.