Crusaders Forced to Go Extra Yard

Village Christian High tied a school record for first downs in a 21-13 loss to Murphy, but the circumstances could have been better for the Crusaders.

They were forced to gamble when the team’s only long snapper, Billy Rust, suffered an ankle injury early in the third quarter. Coach Mike Plaisance, not wanting to risk special-teams turnovers, forsook the punt six times on fourth-down situations in the second half. Village Christian got the first down five times and made 19 overall to tie the record set at Santa Fe Christian in 1985.

Special teams: Kennedy kicker Keith West booted a school-record 50-yard field goal in Kennedy’s 36-0 defeat of Franklin last week. West, an All-City Section soccer player, easily bettered the old mark of 43 yards.

“It would have been good from 57 yards, easy,” Kennedy Coach Bob Francola said. “It landed halfway across the track and cleared the uprights.”

Beginnings: Royal, which has matched its school record (set in 1969 and first equaled in ‘75) with its 3-0 start, has outscored its opponents, 94-13. . . . Grant is 2-0 behind a strong defense. The Lancers have picked off four passes, including two by Hillsdale Hufanga. Grant has allowed an average of 32 yards rushing. . . . If nothing else, Verdugo Hills (0-2) is showing consistency. The Dons gained four yards total offense in each of their losses.

Defense: Kennedy linebacker Damon Tice has 18 solo tackles and has caused two fumbles in two games. . . . San Fernando defensive back Amon Flanagan, a sophomore, has 5 1/2 sacks in two games. . . . Cornell Hill, a senior defensive back at Taft, made eight solo tackles and recorded two sacks in a 28-0 defeat of Hamilton. . . .

Streaks: Birmingham, which will play Reseda on Thursday in a battle for Victory Boulevard bragging rights, has not defeated the Regents since 1979. Reseda is 12-0-1 against Birmingham over that span.

Passing: Westlake’s Todd Preston attempted 51 passes this season before he threw an interception Thursday against Ventura.

Antelope Valley attempted just one pass in its 17-16 win over Redlands. The ground-oriented Antelopes have thrown the ball just 18 times in three games.

Ends: Rio Mesa’s Jamie Liddell (seven receptions for 214 yards) is averaging more than 30 yards a catch. . . . Westlake’s Erik Holcomb (nine receptions for 220 yards) is averaging more than 23 yards a catch.

REGIONAL FOOTBALL TOP 10 Selected by sportswriters of The Times

Last Rk Wk Team League Record 1 2 Canyon Golden 4-0 2 3 Westlake Marmonte 3-0 3 1 Granada Hills West Valley 1-1 4 4 Quartz Hill Golden 2-1 5 5 Thousand Oaks Marmonte 2-1 6 6 Crespi Mission 3-1 7 7 Taft West Valley 1-0 8 8 Kennedy North Valley 2-0 9 10 Hart Foothill 1-2 10 NR San Fernando North Valley 2-0

NR--Not ranked.