Injury Might Force Barnum to Miss Game

Alemany High tailback Terry Barnum, a preseason All-American, had the game of his life last season against Chaminade. Barnum rushed for six touchdowns as Alemany rolled to a 41-7 victory.

Ask any college coach and they might be able to furnish game film. Especially any coach at USC, where Barnum has committed to play next season. “That is his highlight film,” Chaminade Coach Rich Lawson said. “I’m sure it was sent all over the country.”

Barnum’s availability for Friday’s rematch is in question, however. Barnum suffered an injury to his right ankle in last week’s 20-0 victory over Notre Dame and might not play against Chaminade. “It’s a day-to-day thing,” Barnum said Monday. “I’m looking at it as a temporary setback.”

Alemany is 3-2, 1-1 in Mission League play. A loss would probably end the team’s hopes for a league title. Chaminade is 5-0, 2-0.

Rick Chapman (110 yards in 10 carries) is expected to start at tailback if Barnum is unable to play.

Don’t be surprised if Barnum makes an appearance. Before he enrolled at Alemany, Barnum attended Chaminade Junior High in Northridge.

BROWN OUT

The loss of San Fernando running back Johnnie Brown, who had emerged as one of the region’s biggest offensive threats, has put a dent in the team’s shot at a City Section 4-A Division title.

Brown had stepped forward as a talent in the Tiger backfield, having rushed for 225 yards in 20 carries, an area-high average of 11.3 yards a carry. Brown played in little more than two games as a running back before he suffered serious ligament damage two weeks ago in a 42-0 victory over El Camino Real.

Brown, a junior who should anchor the Tigers’ wishbone offense next year, is expected to have surgery this week. He was injured while trying to recover a teammate’s fumble. “He’s going to have to work real hard to come back from this injury,” San Fernando Coach Tom Hernandez said.

Brown is the brother of Leonice Brown, a 1991 San Fernando graduate who now plays at Colorado State, and the half-brother of former San Fernando, USC and NFL star Charles White. As part of the family tradition, both Browns wore uniform No. 12, White’s former number in high school and college.

Brown has been replaced by Marcello Garcia and Amon Flanagan. Yet all is not lost, by any means.

With Brown absent last week, the brunt of the offense fell on LaKarlos Townsend, who responded with four touchdowns and 182 rushing yards in a 40-0 victory over Taft. San Fernando is 5-0.

SAY WHAT?

At last, the secret is out.

Granada Hills’ shocking upset of Carson three weeks ago was somewhat attributable to the stealthy moves of defensive end-fullback Faio Emelio.

Emelio, who is of Samoan descent, told the coaching staff at Granada Hills that he understood the conversations of several Carson linemen, who were speaking about blocking schemes and play selection in Samoan.

“Their whole front line was Samoan,” Emelio said. “On one play I heard what they were going to run on a two-point conversion and made the tackle. I just said, ‘Thank you.’ ”

WINNING FEELING

When Stan Quina took over the Simi Valley High program that had not had a winning season since 1985, he knew he had plenty of work to do.

After Quina endured an 0-10 season in 1990, the Pioneers have jumped to a 4-1 start this season, including a 17-8 victory last week over Camarillo, a team that had beaten Simi Valley five consecutive times and 24 of the last 32 meetings.

Yet it appears Quina’s work is never-ending. Shortly after Simi Valley beat Camarillo, Quina stood in one end zone amid celebrating players and supporters and took a moment to speak with a student who wanted a spot on the Pioneers’ bandwagon.

“I’d like to play football next year,” the boy said. Quina examined the size of the student, who was more than six feet tall.

“You’re a sophomore?” he asked.

“Yeah.”

Quina nodded. “That would be great. I expect to see you out next year.”

After transforming one of the weakest programs in the region into an instant winner, Quina has become the Pied Piper of Pioneer football. Simi Valley has not had a winning season since 1985 when the Pioneers shared the Marmonte League championship with Thousand Oaks.

“The kids love it and they’re having a lot of fun,” Quina said. “They’ve worked hard and they’re excited about the opportunity. I think there’s a lot of teams out there that don’t want to admit Simi Valley is very good. I hear chit-chat and, well, let’s leave it at that. We’re not done with our job yet.”

NO PASSING FANCY

Camarillo’s passing woes continued in the Scorpions’ 17-8 loss to Simi Valley. Sophomore quarterback Jim Hansen was two for six for 24 yards, making him 11 for 44 for 260 yards on the season.

The result is a run-oriented offense that has had difficulty finding the end zone. Camarillo (3-2, 1-1), a preseason favorite to contend for the Marmonte League title, has scored 10 points or fewer three times. In its two losses, Camarillo has scored 11 points.

“You can’t score if you can’t throw the ball,” Coach Carl Thompson said. “(Hansen) is only a sophomore and he’s having a hard time.”

Simi Valley took advantage of Camarillo’s inability to pass by stacking its defensive front with as many as eight players.

“When you have 11 guys lined up within seven yards of the ball, you have got to be able to throw them out of it,” Thompson said.

QUOTEBOOK

Camp Kilpatrick (2-2-1), a Los Angeles County-maintained school for juvenile offenders, has never had the advantage of a home game. “We are in a new environment every week,” said Coach Sean Porter. “Every week we’re in a different house. And every week they’re looking around to see if mom or dad is here. . . . (because) they didn’t see (mom or dad) at breakfast.”

GUESS WHO

When Poly quarterback Lance Garcia drops back to pass, chances are that he’s looking for wide receiver Michael Vreeland.

Vreeland, a 6-2, 175-pound senior, has accounted for 20 of Garcia’s 26 completions and has at least one reception in six consecutive games, dating to Poly’s victory over Lincoln in the City Section 3-A Division final last season.

Vreeland, who returned a punt 67 yards for a touchdown against Canoga Park last week, leads City players in receptions (20), yardage (343) and touchdowns (four).

Vreeland, also a starting defensive back, is being recruited by Washington State, Big West and Big Sky schools.

NO HUDDLE

Sylmar has become the latest team to use the fashionable “no-huddle” offense, but the experiment did not last long. The Spartans used a no-huddle offense in their first series against Van Nuys last week, and confusion quickly ensued.

Brian Roberson’s 35-yard punt return gave Sylmar its first possession at the Van Nuys’ 25-yard line. On the first play of the drive, quarterback Ryan Walker connected with Tobaise Brookins on a 20-yard pass, bringing the Spartans to the five.

Sylmar lost yardage on its next two plays when Walker was sacked and Brookins was tackled behind the line of scrimmage. Faced with third and goal at the Wolves’ 11, Sylmar Coach Jeff Engilman decided to slow down the hurry-up offense and called a timeout.

“I didn’t expect to get down there that fast,” Engilman said.

Two plays later, Walker’s one-yard keeper gave Sylmar a 7-0 lead, and the no-huddle offense was never to be seen again.

FAMILY FOOTHOLD

Kicks might keep gettin’ harder to find, but not kickers for the Burbank football team. Burbank simply calls upon the Velasco family.

The latest in a long line of strong legs is sophomore Alfonso Velasco, the fourth member of the Velasco family to kick for Burbank in the past seven years. Velasco, a cousin of brothers Alfredo, Salvadore and Abo, has made eight of 10 extra points and three of four field-goal attempts to account for 17 points this season.

Alfonso, the only left-footer of the four, booted a 40-yard field goal against Canyon, a career long.

Whither the Velasco of years past?

Alfredo, who graduated from Burbank in 1985 and still holds a school record with a 52-yard field goal, went on to kick for UCLA and served as special-teams coach at Harvard High last year.

Salvadore (class of ‘87) is a student at Hawaii.

Abo (class of ‘88) is a student at Cal State Northridge and a former kicker for the Matadors.

WHAT’S IN A NAME?

Members of the media are politely requested to vacate the premises at Glendale High no later than 20 minutes after the conclusion of each game.

As a less-than-subtle reminder, no less than six notices have been posted in the tiny stadium press box by the stadium manager.

His name? Brian R. Goodknight.

INJURIES

Thousand Oaks senior wide receiver Eric Houston, a projected NCAA Division I prospect, will be sidelined for the remainder of the season because of a knee injury.

Houston (6-2, 190), who averaged 20.8 yards on eight reverses and 27.8 yards on six receptions last season, injured a knee during a passing tournament game July 20. He was expected to return three weeks ago, but arthroscopic surgery two weeks ago disclosed a torn ligament.

“It’s a tremendous loss because we felt we had a tremendous weapon in Eric Houston,” Coach Bob Richards said.

Houston, a projected starter on the basketball team, is expected to miss much of the basketball season. . . .

Sylmar’s Art Larrea (6-4, 270), an offensive and defensive tackle, sustained a knee injury in the Spartans’ 33-0 rout over Van Nuys. . . .

Junior Patrick Blunt of Channel Islands is expected to compete in a key Marmonte League cross-country meet today against Camarillo and Agoura after missing a dual meet because of a knee injury. . . .

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