Hidden Video Totally Fools Barnum, Dice

Terry Barnum and Richard Dice bought the fake in a big way. The proof is right there on the film, for all the world to see.

Barnum and Dice, Alemany High’s preseason football All-Americans, were duped a few weeks ago by Coach Pat Blackburn as part of a skit on the syndicated television program, “Totally Hidden Video.” The program, which is similar in format to “Candid Camera,” aired Saturday night on KTTV Channel 11.

The setup: A few days before the team’s opener against Servite, Blackburn told a group of players that a representative from the Southern Section needed to meet with them about an “investigation” that was in progress. Blackburn declined to give players any details.

A group of players adjourned to an Alemany classroom, where a hidden TV camera was recording their every move. An actor playing the role of a Southern Section official addressed the players and informed them that a girl had sued to earn the right to play center for Alemany.

“We thought, ‘OK, no problem there. There have been a couple of teams around the Valley who have had girl players the last few years,’ ” Barnum said Monday.

After an actress was brought into the classroom, Dice and Barnum took some snaps. She wasn’t exactly the lineman type. In fact, the players snickered at her size.

“We couldn’t believe how small she was,” said Barnum, the team’s standout running back.

Then the bogus Southern Section representative dropped the bomb: The girl also had won the right to start at center against Servite, a longtime power from Orange County.

Barnum’s reaction: “I love all the guys on this team, but there are guys on this team we wouldn’t let start.”

Said an indignant Dice, the Alemany starter at tight end: “Start means one play, right? One play isn’t gonna hurt us. It won’t make or break the game.”

The players eventually were let in on the gag, and vengeance later was theirs.

When Blackburn was brought into the studio a few days later to tape the lead-in to the feature, Dice and Barnum sneaked up behind him and doused him with a bucket of water--all while cameras were rolling.

How was it that Dice and Barnum, the team’s most high-profile players, ended up receiving the most air time?

Barnum, the senior class vice president, admitted that it had more to do with gullibility than athletic ability.

“We just bit harder than everybody else,” he said.

START OF A TREND?

Hoover Coach Dennis Hughes had harsh words for Blackburn during and after Friday night’s game in which the Tornadoes were thumped by Alemany, 47-0.

The gripe is as old as goal posts: Hughes accused his counterpart of running up the score.

With Alemany leading, 33-0, midway through the third quarter, Alemany’s Adam Romandi lofted a 44-yard touchdown pass to Dice. What made matters worse, Hughes said, is that Blackburn knowingly took advantage of third-string cornerback Eric Garbutt, who was in the position only because of injuries.

Hughes said he confronted Blackburn during a timeout to protest the onslaught, but Blackburn denied the charge of running it up.

“Thirty-three points, that’s enough,” Hughes said. “It was obvious that we were having trouble. Alemany is a good team, obviously. I’m just opposed to rubbing a kid’s nose in it.

“If I was ever in that situation--up 33-0--I’d have the second and third string in and I’d be running a lot of fullback dives.”

Judging by Hoover’s performance this season, Hughes probably won’t get the chance. The Tornadoes have been torpedoed, 37-0, 28-3 and 47-0.

SAFARI, SO GOOD

Pity the Taft administration. Last week, the football team learned it had used an academically ineligible player and would be forced to forfeit its season-opening victory over Gardena.

Later, it appeared that sophomore tailback Derrell Patton also might be in academic trouble. Efforts to track down Patton’s summer-school grades proved troublesome for administrators.

It seems that Patton’s instructor was in Africa and would be unavailable for several days. A second representative from Patton’s summer school was contacted and confirmed that Patton was eligible, clearing the way for him to play last Thursday against Banning.

FURTHER REVIEW

Granada Hills co-Coach Darryl Stroh reversed his field on a controversial muffed punt after consulting with a college official and gave a thumbs up to the officiating crew that worked the Granada Hills-Carson game Friday.

The call followed a strange play in the Highlanders’ 29-18 upset of Carson after the Colts muffed a punt in the fourth quarter.

The play started when a Granada Hills punt landed near the Carson goal line and spun backward into a Carson player, who upon realizing the ball had struck him, dived for the ball and accidentally sent it tumbling into the end zone. Granada Hills recovered for an apparent touchdown, but officials then claimed that the punt was muffed and ruled it a touchback. Carson assumed possession at the 20.

Stroh phoned a college official over the weekend in search of a second opinion. Strange as it seems, the call was correct.

“Any time a kicked ball is not possessed by one of the teams and goes into the end zone, it’s a touchback,” Stroh said Monday. “Nobody ever had possession of it, so it was the right call.”

BLAME STOPS HERE

Blame Coach Bob Dunivant for Burroughs’ 9-7 loss to La Canada on Friday night.

Says who? Bob Dunivant.

Burroughs led, 7-3, with 15 seconds to play before surrendering a game-winning touchdown pass. Dunivant, who took over as coach last week as an emergency replacement after Butch McElwee resigned, attributed the loss to coaching cobwebs. “I was a little rusty,” Dunivant said. “There’s a lot of critical thinking that you need to do and when you’re not on top of everything, you suffer a little bit.”

INJURY UPDATE

El Camino Real High running back Chris Shinnick sustained broken bones in his left forearm in the Conquistadores’ 28-7 loss to Sylmar last week and will be lost for the season. Shinnick, the team’s leading rusher with 221 yards and three touchdowns in 42 carries, also started in the secondary.

Shinnick’s arm was broken while he was being tackled, co-Coach Mike Maio said.

“He said he didn’t realize it was broken until he tried to push himself off the ground,” Maio said.

Two years ago, Shinnick broke the same arm when he fell off a pommel horse during a gymnastics class.

Sylmar’s Tobaise Brookins, a senior tailback who has rushed for 223 yards in 52 carries and three touchdowns in two games this season, also was injured in the El Camino Real game, sustaining a sprained right ankle in the fourth quarter.

Brookins, who gained 106 yards in 26 carries before the injury, was not able to practice Monday because of soreness in the injured ankle, but Coach Jeff Engilman expects Brookins to be back in the lineup this week. . . .

Channel Islands tight end Dante Mitchell sustained a broken finger in the Raiders’ 37-21 loss to Oxnard last week. He is doubtful for Channel Islands’ Marmonte League opener with Camarillo on Friday. . . .

Camarillo linebacker Jamie Sandell, who has missed two games because of mononucleosis, might return this week. . . .

COMING-OUT PARTY

It is no secret that Canyon’s 0-1-1 start could be partially linked to dormant play from preseason all-state lineman Chuck Osborne.

But Osborne enjoyed a field day in Canyon’s 16-12 win over Thousand Oaks last week, playing his first game at nose guard and making life miserable for the Lancers.

In particular, Osborne distinguished himself with two plays. On Thousand Oaks’ first play after stopping a Canyon drive and taking over on its two-yard line, Osborne tossed blockers aside and nailed running back Quincy Jacobs for a safety.

Another memorable play arose when Thousand Oaks had a fourth-and-seven situation at the end of the third quarter. Osborne, who played defensive end in Canyon’s first two games, broke through the line and sacked quarterback Ernie Foli for a 13-yard loss.

“He looked better on film than he did in the game,” Canyon Coach Harry Welch said. “There was one play where four T.O. players go to block him. On one play. And he’s still a step away from the quarterback when he throws the ball.”

ALLIES

It is merely coincidence that Littlerock and Highland, both undefeated Antelope Valley schools in their first year of varsity competition, will travel north this weekend to play Bishop and Mammoth, respectively.

Highland (3-0), which plays Saturday at 2:30 p.m., is traveling north early to root for the Lobos (3-0) as they take on Bishop on Friday night.

“(Littlerock is) our biggest rival, but they are also our sister school,” Highland Coach Lin Parker said. “We’re going to try and build a little fire under Littlerock, and cheer them on. And it gives us a chance to see what they have.”

Vince Kowalick and staff writers Steve Elling, Paige A. Leech, Brian Murphy and Jeff Riley contributed to this notebook.