Riggins Makes Sudden Impact : Football: In first game for Calabasas after aborted transfer attempt, back gains 208 yards.

When Calabasas High running back Damon Riggins dashed toward Agoura last month, his teammates weren’t dashing ahead opening holes.

Instead, their hopes were dashed.

Riggins, a two-year starter at running back and safety, wanted out of the Coyotes’ three-legged program. Calabasas’ roster had dwindled from 35 players to eight at one point this summer, and Riggins wanted to use his deceptive moves to get out of Calabasas once and for all.

“From what I heard, (my teammates) thought I let them down, and I don’t blame them for being mad at me,” Riggins said.

But Riggins was soon back in the Coyote huddle. Agoura and Calabasas are members of the Las Virgenes Unified School District, and Riggins failed to meet requirements for an intra-district transfer. After 2 1/2 weeks of practice with Agoura, he was sent back to Calabasas on Sept. 6. The team--then 12 players strong--voted to accept him back.

“They just told me they were glad to have me,” Riggins said.

Riggins, a 5-foot-9, 185-pound senior, was ineligible for Calabasas’ opening game Sept. 7, a 30-13 loss to Bishop Diego, because he had not participated in 10 practices. He regained his eligibility last week and opened the season with a stunning performance.

Riggins rushed for 208 yards in 19 carries, scored on touchdown runs of 76 and 49 yards, intercepted a pass. In addition, he had a 96-yard kickoff return nullified by a holding penalty. With Riggins back in the fold, the Coyotes, all 15 of them, defeated St. Genevieve, 28-14.

“Before the game, I couldn’t wait to get out there,” Riggins said. “I knew my teammates were questioning whether I was going to take it seriously, and I wanted to show them I’m out to give 100%.”

Riggins, who rushed for 660 yards as a junior, was one of the few bright spots in a decaying program that was 1-9 last season and 4-16 the past two.

Of the 35 players who participated in Calabasas’ spring drills, only eight appeared for the opening day of practice in August.

Riggins was one of the defectors. He had moved to Agoura, a former Frontier League rival, pending approval of his transfer. Agoura moved this season to the Marmonte League.

“I wasn’t getting along with some people at Calabasas, and I was making new friends at Agoura,” Riggins said. “It seemed to be a better situation.”

Riggins initially strained his relationship with his Calabasas teammates last spring when he was indefinitely suspended from the team because of an on-campus incident. His dash west further weakened the relationship.

“I was discouraged, like just about everybody else, but we knew he’d be an asset,” said senior Ron Adelman, Calabasas’ quarterback and a team captain. “When we met to decide about taking Damon back, we had only 13 people on the team. If we didn’t take him back, we were at risk of not having a team, and that just wasn’t worth it.”

Riggins sought to solidify his support among his teammates with a strong showing Friday as a running back and linebacker.

“I felt I had to help out and let them know that I want to play for them,” Riggins said. “I wish I had been able to help out for the first game.”

That thought wasn’t lost on Adelman.

“If we had had him the first game, we’d be 2-0,” he said.