Ruedy Helps Chatsworth Pump Up Its Air Attack

Chatsworth High quarterback Brandon Ruedy couldn’t contain himself, mainly because the Canoga Park defense couldn’t, either.

Ruedy, according to his coach, was sky high after tossing a 55-yard scoring bomb to Delvon Hardaway in the second quarter of Chatsworth’s 34-0 defeat of Canoga Park on Thursday.

“He was pumped,” Chatsworth Coach Myron Gibford said. “He must have been pumped. He put the ball in the end zone on his next kickoff. It was his best kick of the year.”

And it was the best performance by a Chatsworth quarterback in at least four years. Ruedy, a 6-foot senior, completed 11 of 14 passes for 164 yards and three touchdowns.

At Chatsworth, that’s a career:

* As a starter last season, Ruedy passed for 154 yards in nine games, threw five interceptions and did not throw a scoring pass.

* In 1988, Tyler Johnston passed for 396 yards, threw 14 interceptions and did not throw a touchdown pass.

* In 1987, Bryan Addison passed for 332 yards in 11 games, threw five interceptions and three touchdown passes.

* In 1986, Addison passed for 650 yards in nine games, threw two interceptions and one scoring pass.

In short, over the previous four seasons, Chatsworth’s starting quarterbacks passed for 1,532 yards. Ruedy passed for 10% of that total in one night. In the past four seasons, the Chancellors scored four times through the air. Ruedy managed 75% of that in one game.

That’s something to kick about.

Defense: So much for the theory that the best defense is a good offense. Three defensive-minded teams are proving that the road to victory lies on the other side of the line of scrimmage. Consider:

* Quartz Hill has surrendered just 161 yards on the ground in four games.

* Fillmore has surrendered just 467 yards and 13 points in four games.

* Canyon has surrendered just 757 yards and four touchdowns in four games.

Combined, these teams are 11-1 heading into this week’s games.

L. A. Baptist has surrendered 345 yards a game, while gaining just 194 yards a game. It is no surprise that the Knights have stumbled to an 0-4 start.

Sylmar is off to a 2-0 start after its 28-21 victory over El Camino Real last week. Sylmar allowed El Camino Real 218 yards in the first half, just 58 in the second. “We did a little chewing out at halftime,” Sylmar Coach Jeff Engilman said. “We challenged them, especially the veterans, to go out and play inspired ball in the second half. They came out and played much better football (in the second half).”

Offense: Poly (2-1) is averaging 214 yards rushing a game and 328 yards of total offense after beating Verdugo Hills, 49-13, last week. The Parrots gained 444 yards against Verdugo Hills to give them 984 on the season.

Rushing: Nordhoff had a season-best night running the ball in last week’s 28-14 win over Oak Park. The Rangers had rushed for just 247 yards in their first three games but chalked up 250 yards in the Oak Park game.

Passing: The Hart-Quartz Hill game Friday is a matchup of strength against weakness. The Indians have passed for 642 yards in their first four games; Quartz Hill has surrendered 674 of a total 835 yards in the air.

“Hart’s gonna give us a lot of problems,” Quartz Hill Coach John Albee said.

Records: After combining for only one win during the first two weeks of the season, Foothill League teams--led by Schurr (2-1-1), Hart (2-2) and Burbank (1-3)--have now combined for five wins, but three teams remain winless.

REGIONAL FOOTBALL TOP 10 Selected by sportswriters of The Times

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

NR--Not ranked.