Moorpark’s Taylor to Miss Opener

Bryant Taylor, one of the Moorpark College football team’s top recruits, will miss the opener against East L.A. today and perhaps the season because of high blood pressure, Moorpark Coach Jim Bittner said.

“It’s getting a little late,” Bittner said. “If he doesn’t make it out by next week, we’ll probably call it a season. It’s frustrating because there are no answers. They don’t know what’s wrong with him.”

A standout running back and linebacker at Oxnard High, Taylor (6-2, 210) tentatively had been moved to linebacker full time by the Moorpark coaches but had been held out of preseason practice as a precautionary measure.

Bittner said Taylor has continued to undergo medical testing every two days.

He added that Taylor’s blood pressure has been lowered through medication but that efforts to find the cause of the condition have produced nothing conclusive.

“He still wants to play, but until they find out what’s wrong, I won’t feel comfortable,” Bittner said.

Taylor was a two-year Times All-Ventura County selection, once at linebacker and once at running back.