THE HIGH SCHOOLS : Reseda Linebacker Schaeffer Patterning Himself After Father

Reseda High linebacker Tim Schaeffer had two sacks and an interception in Friday’s 14-0 loss to heavily favored Granada Hills and sparked a defensive effort that had the Highlanders misfiring most of the night.

His father, Reseda Coach Joel Schaeffer, laughed as he offered a simple explanation for his son’s play. It had nothing to do with Tim’s exposure to years of X’s and O’s. This was pure X and Y. As in chromosomes.

“It’s genetics,” quipped Schaeffer, who might have a point.

As an inside linebacker at San Fernando Valley State College (now Cal State Northridge) in 1962, Schaeffer was downright dangerous in a 37-14 loss to San Diego State.

For openers, Schaeffer said that he recorded quarterback sacks on three consecutive plays for minus-37 yards.

He said he also blocked two punts and a pair of conversion kicks.

One can almost visualize the scowl on the face of legendary grump Don Coryell, who was the San Diego State coach. Yet Schaeffer apparently made quite an impression on others.

“After the game, this 350-pound man, one of Coryell’s assistants, walked across the field and shook my hand,” Schaeffer recalled. “He said, ‘That’s one of the best jobs of linebacking I’ve ever seen.’

“It made quite an impression on me,” he said.

The assistant? John Madden.

Schaeffer was so overwhelmed by Madden’s gesture that he says he has since made it a point to congratulate any player, opposition or otherwise, on a superlative effort.

“I haven’t told that story to many people,” Schaeffer said. “I don’t know that anybody would believe it.”

Mirror image: San Fernando met its twin in a 14-13 upset at the hands of El Camino Real last week.

The Tigers, who employ a clock-chewing wishbone, now know what’s it like to stand on the sideline waiting to get the ball back.

San Fernando Coach Tom Hernandez said the Tigers had the ball seven times in the game--once in the fourth quarter--and ran 39 plays.

“They gained 3 1/2 yards on every play,” an exasperated Hernandez said.

El Camino Real regained possession with 6 minutes 4 seconds remaining and ran out the clock.

“We wanted to make a lot of first downs and keep the ball out of their hands,” El Camino Real co-Coach Mike Maio said of the game plan. “We just kept running the ball and would throw a little pass here and there when we had to.”

Overachieving underclassmen: Three freshmen and two sophomores played key roles in Channel and Marmonte league games last week, and they likely will become oft-mentioned names.

* Leodes Van Buren (5-foot-11, 160 pounds), a Newbury Park freshman wide receiver, caught five passes for a season-high 107 yards and a touchdown in a 28-13 loss to Agoura. Van Buren has 13 receptions for 248 yards, including one of 73 yards.

* George Keiaho (5-8, 185), a Buena freshman running back, carried 10 times for 106 yards, including a 66-yard touchdown, in Buena’s 41-10 win over San Marcos. Keiaho has carried 62 times for 445 yards and four touchdowns.

* Shawn Popken (6-0, 170), a Buena freshman nose guard and running back, carried twice for 42 yards, including a 37-yard touchdown. He performs best on defense, however. “We just put him there to fill in at one practice, but nobody could block him,” Coach Rick Scott said. “He was just tenacious.”

* Larry Bumpus (5-9, 160), Oxnard’s sophomore quarterback, has the quickness of Johnel Turner, a three-year Oxnard starter who graduated last spring. Coach Jack Davis says that Bumpus has a more accurate arm. In a 43-32 loss to Ventura, Bumpus completed nine of 15 passes for 113 yards and two touchdowns. He also gained 87 yards in five carries. Bumpus has completed 31 of 67 passes for 476 yards and six touchdowns.

* Derek Swafford (5-10, 160), a Ventura sophomore running back, rushed 16 times for 121 yards and two touchdowns against Oxnard. Swafford has gained 493 yards and scored eight touchdowns in 82 carries.

Party crashers: Buena (2-4, 2-1) shook the Channel League standings when it defeated San Marcos (2-4, 2-1) Friday. San Marcos entered the game alone in first place.

But Buena’s celebration was delayed when the team bus struck a tree as it was leaving San Marcos High at about 10:10 p.m.

A mirror on the bus was shattered, which required the driver to complete an accident report. Sheriff’s deputies were summoned but they said that the report needed to be handled by a California Highway Patrol officer.

“They didn’t show up until about 10:25 p.m., then had to take the name, address, phone number, birth date, city, and ZIP code of everybody on the bus,” Buena Coach Rick Scott said.

That included 54 players and Scott, who humorously attempted to help as one officer took photographs and another interviewed players. The players, who had showered, could not leave their places on the bus.

“I told (the officer) that they were all from the same orphanage and had the same address,” Scott said. “He didn’t buy that, so I told him I was their foster parent and we all lived in the same house.”

No sale there, either. At 11:30 p.m., the players finally were en route to Ventura, where they arrived shortly after midnight.

“It was really crazy,” Scott said. “The kids were real squirrelly and sang the goofiest songs you’ve ever heard. Thank goodness the boosters brought them burgers, or they would have eaten the seats.”

Scott said the delay was easier to accept after the Bulldogs’ upset victory. And, after an 0-3 start, Buena is a two-point loss, a 14-12 decision at Oxnard, from leading the league.

“I think it brought some team morale around for us,” Scott said. “For a team that is 2-4, we’re playing Ventura on Friday for a chance to slip into first place.”

Jack of all trades: Just when it seemed that Ventura Coach Harvey Kochel couldn’t praise senior running back Jack Hammond any more, Hammond coaxes Kochel with a team-high 218 rushing yards and two touchdowns in a 43-32 win over Oxnard on Friday.

Hammond wanted to play tailback in the Cougars’ I formation this season but settled for fullback, allowing Swafford the opportunity for the abundant rushing yardage.

“He didn’t complain at all,” Kochel said. “He’s the kind of kid who will do what it takes to help the team.”

Friday, Swafford fumbled three times, so Kochel moved Hammond to tailback.

“Jack Hammond was exceptional,” Kochel said. “But just being Jack Hammond is pretty special. He’s a great kid, and when he has a night like he had Friday, you can’t be more happy for him.”

Hammond was impressive enough to force Kochel to reconsider his backfield alignment.

“I had to give it some thought over the weekend,” Kochel said. “But I think we’ll stay with what we’ve done.”

Close, but . . .: When Santa Barbara beat Rio Mesa, 17-14, Friday on a 30-yard field goal with 20 seconds left, it left the Spartans (3-3, 1-2) with two Channel League losses by a total of five points.

San Marcos beat Rio Mesa, 22-20, in the league opener for both schools. Rio Mesa blew a 14-0 lead against Santa Barbara (4-1-1, 2-0-1), which is tied with Ventura for first place in the league.

“It was the best game we’ve played in a number of years,” Rio Mesa Coach John Reardon said.

Receiving compliments were running backs Sal Balsano (93 yards in 15 carries) and Gordy Abellera (59 yards in 12 carries).

Rejuvenated Knights: In a little less than a year, Notre Dame has reversed its image in the cross-country wars.

Once regarded as an easy mark, the Knights have surged from rags to riches with a 4-0 league record and are in contention for the Mission League championship.

“They’re sky high,” Coach Bob Macias said of his boys’ team. “This is the first time they’ve run for a championship.”

In fact, Notre Dame last won a league title in 1977, when it was a member of the now-disbanded Del Rey League. The 1977 league championship was the third in a row for Notre Dame, which has struggled to maintain depth in recent years.

During 1984-87, Notre Dame’s final four years in the Del Rey League, the Knights compiled a 6-18 record and placed no higher than fourth in the seven-team league.

The Knights, off to their best start since 1985, already have sewn up a berth in the Southern Section Division III-A preliminaries, but the league title will be at stake Thursday when the Knights travel to Bishop Montgomery (4-0).

Notre Dame last qualified for the Southern Section preliminaries in 1988 with a third-place finish in the San Fernando Valley League.

Coming of age: Burroughs Coach Butch McElwee knew about sophomore Sean McDermott all along but was reluctant to move him up to the varsity. The sophomore team had a bye last week, however, and the 5-9, 170-pound tailback got his chance.

McDermott rushed for 151 yards and a touchdown in his varsity debut to lead the Indians to a 27-0 win--their first victory of the season.

“He would have been varsity to begin with, but his father was worried that he wasn’t big enough to play,” McElwee said. “Our policy is to bring kids up only when they want to and feel like it. The kid definitely has the talent and is something to see run.”

Mike Glaze and staff writers Steve Elling, Kirby Lee, Brian Murphy and Jeff Riley contributed to this notebook.