Crespi to Face Notre Dame Without Several Starters

Crespi High quarterback Cody Smith is questionable for the Celts’ final Mission League game Friday against Notre Dame, and three other Celt starters are injured and will not play, according to Coach Tim Lins.

Smith, who completed 28 of 39 attempts for 380 yards in a losing effort against St. Paul last week, sustained a bruised kidney and bruised ribs in the final minutes of the hard-hitting game. St. Paul won, 30-21.

Smith has not worked out with the team this week and will visit a doctor today.

Senior wide receiver Jim Goetz is out for the year after he suffered a dislocated left shoulder in the second quarter, and outside linebacker Mike Peters (knee injury) and defensive lineman Art Tresierras (concussion) also will not play. In addition, junior linebacker Brian Getz (shoulder) is doubtful.

“It was a very physical contest,” Lins said. “Both sides were bruised up pretty good, but I think we got the worst of it.”

Seniors Matt Maier and Bill Canalez will fill in at quarterback if Smith does not play. Maier has completed one of two passes for eight yards this season. Canalez, the team’s kicker, has not thrown a pass this year but started several games at quarterback last season.

Notre Dame (6-2-1, 4-0-1 in league play) can clinch at least a share of the league title with a win over Crespi (7-2, 4-1). A loss could drop the Knights as low as third behind St. Paul (4-3-2, 4-0-1) and Crespi.

Unhappy trails: San Fernando Coach Tom Hernandez says he has seen enough yardage marched off against the Tigers. And next time Hernandez thinks his team is being squeezed by an overzealous official, he swears he is prepared to do some hiking of his own.

“We’re walking off the field,” Hernandez said. “We want to let people know that we’re not going to stand for it.”

In last week’s 17-15 loss to Reseda, the Tigers had a fourth-quarter touchdown nullified by a questionable clipping call.

Hernandez, who said a nonexistent penalty cost his team a crucial touchdown the week before against Granada Hills, personally delivered a copy of the Reseda game film to City Section Commissioner Hal Harkness on Monday.

The outcome, of course, will not be reversed, but at least Hernandez blew off some steam. And he has plenty of that to spare.

“If we lose, it’s going to be because the other team is better than us, not because some idiot’s out there guessing,” he said. “I’m trying to put the word out--don’t make calls that aren’t there.”

Add San Fernando: Hernandez says he feels that the Tigers have established an undeserved reputation as an aggressive team, which often earns additional penalties. Actually, Hernandez wishes that was the case this season.

“I look at our four linebackers and they’re all 3.8 (grade-point average) kids,” Hernandez said. “Hey, if we were aggressive, we wouldn’t be 4-4.

“I wish we had aggressive players. Our kids don’t pile on, they don’t take cheap shots. These guys are all taking chemistry and (trigonometry). I like San Fernando linebackers to be tough guys from the projects, but we don’t have that this year.”

Rough seas: Royal, which tied a school record with its seventh win last Friday, is in a situation envied only by Coach Gene Uebelhardt.

Entering the final week of the season, Royal (7-1-1, 4-1-1) could win its first Marmonte League championship. Or, in a worst-case scenario, the Highlanders could finish in fourth place and out of the Division II playoffs.

If Royal beats first-place Westlake and Thousand Oaks loses to Agoura, the Highlanders will win the league championship. If Royal loses to Westlake and Camarillo beats Channel Islands, the Highlanders will finish in fourth place.

Camarillo, which beat Royal, 26-20, would finish third and leave Royal needing a wild-card berth to make the Division II playoffs.

“Tell Gene that I’m sure glad to not be in his boat right now,” Thousand Oaks Coach Bob Richards said.

But Uebelhardt is a happy skipper while sailing the Highlanders through topsy-turvy waters. After nine weeks last season, his team was en route to a 3-7 finish, including 1-6 in league play.

“We’ll have to wait until Saturday morning to see what we’re doing next Monday,” Uebelhardt said. “Last year, I already knew what we were doing on Monday. Collecting uniforms.”

Too good?: Westlake’s explosive offense, which has averaged 380 yards and 36 points a game, might have been too productive in a 41-41 tie with Thousand Oaks.

With 1:26 left, Westlake was nursing a 34-33 lead and faced third and four at Thousand Oaks’ 43-yard line. Quarterback Todd Preston hit Seamus Gibbons on a quick slant pattern at the Lancers’ 30, a play that Westlake Coach Jim Benkert said was designed to gain a first down and take time off the clock.

But Gibbons, Westlake’s all-time leading receiver, turned the play into a touchdown and Preston’s conversion extended the Warriors’ lead to 41-33 with 1:16 left.

The Lancers needed just 50 seconds to drive 69 yards and tie the score, 41-41, on Greg Buchanan’s touchdown run and Scott Peterson’s conversion run with 16 seconds left.

“If (Westlake’s pass play) isn’t a touchdown, we never would have got the ball back,” Richards said. “But we ended up with another shot at it and were lucky. Their touchdown actually helped us.”

Add crazy finish: Westlake had one final chance for victory after the Warriors took the ensuing kickoff at their 24 with nine seconds left, but Preston fired a desperation pass that was intercepted by Thousand Oaks’ David Watts at the Lancers’ 35 as time expired.

Watts emerged from a group of players, broke a tackle at midfield and picked up more blockers as he approached Westlake’s 40. Preston, however, sprinted across the field and squeezed between the blockers, tackling Watts at the 28.

“It seemed like (Watts) was running forever,” Westlake Coach Jim Benkert said.

Air force: Hart quarterback Ryan Connors completed 12 of 16 passes for 261 yards and five touchdowns despite playing only 1 1/2 quarters in the Indians’ 56-0 win over San Gabriel.

Connors, a junior who has thrown for more than 200 yards in five consecutive outings and six games this season, completed nine of 11 for 194 yards and three touchdowns in the first period.

“We just read the defense and make the call at the line of scrimmage,” Coach Mike Herrington said. “We have a bunch of receivers and we just go to the man best suited for the situation. Our goal was to pass for over 200 yards (against San Gabriel).”

Hart ran 16 consecutive pass plays while Connors was in the game and did not advance beyond second down in the first half. Hart did not punt in the contest.

Hands-on effort: Harvard’s Iheanyi Uwaezouke sustained a dislocated finger on his left hand while making a tackle in the first quarter Friday against Alemany.

Uwaezouke remained in the game, however, and caught five passes for 98 yards, including a 55-yard touchdown reception to help spark a 36-33 win.

Lost in the shuffle: Glendale’s Pathon Rucker, who needs 193 yards to break the single-season school record of 1,750 yards, has been the area’s leading rusher throughout the season. Consequently, his accomplishments have overshadowed the blocking of fullback Hector Maya.

Recently, though, Maya’s efforts have begun to surface. When Rucker was held below 100 yards in wins over Pasadena and Muir, the 5-foot-9, 200-pound senior, who has rushed for 565 yards, picked up the slack.

Maya gained 74 yards rushing and 66 receiving against Pasadena and had 70 yards in 17 carries against Muir, seven of which produced first downs.

“When we give him the ball, he’s capable of doing that,” Coach Don Shoemaker said. “He’s been a game-saver.”

Crescenta Valley Coach Jim Beckenhauer agreed after watching Maya and Rucker combine for 447 yards rushing, including 149 by Maya, in Glendale’s 36-21 victory last week that clinched the Pacific League title.

“Rucker is sensational, but we felt that (Maya) was the key to their offense,” Beckenhauer said. “I don’t know if you call him an unsung hero, but he could well be their MVP. He’s not big, but he’s very determined.”

Staff writers Steve Elling, Kirby Lee, Paige A. Leech and Jeff Riley contributed to this notebook.