Thousand Oaks Makes Change at Quarterback

Thousand Oaks High football Coach Bob Richards said that sophomore Trevor Thompson will start at quarterback for the host Lancers in their Marmonte League game today against Channel Islands.

Thompson, who has been alternating series with senior Ernie Foli the past two games, might continue to do that. Foli has started each game for the Lancers but has struggled, completing 13 of 34 for 184 yards.

“Each boy is taking snaps in practice, and Trevor will start Friday,” Richards said. “We’ll see how the game goes from there.”

In Thousand Oaks’ 39-37 win over Newbury Park last week, Foli failed to complete any of his three passes. Thompson was three for three for 32 yards and a touchdown.

CREDITABLE IMITATION

Since Hart began using it about two years ago, observers have likened the Indians’ run-and-shoot to the Houston Oilers’ version.

Any resemblance is not coincidental.

“Whenever the Oilers are on TV, we tell the players to watch them,” Coach Mike Herrington said. “It’s not an assignment, just a suggestion. We want them to see how they’re running it.”

The reception has been perfect. In fact, quarterback Ryan Connors, Hart’s triggerman in the run-and-shoot, has started to think like Oiler quarterback Warren Moon.

“He was sitting with his dad watching the Oilers one day and he was calling out the plays ahead of time,” Herrington said. “His dad told me he couldn’t believe it.”

HIKE! . . . HIKE!!

Oxnard quarterback Larry Bumpus could have used some directions to find center Eric Terrill during the third quarter of the Yellowjackets’ 35-28 loss to Santa Barbara last week.

On third and goal from the Santa Barbara three, Bumpus lined up behind one of his guards, John Smith, instead of Terrill. And when Bumpus called out his signals, Terrill snapped the ball right into the turf. Only an illegal-procedure penalty against Oxnard kept Santa Barbara from getting the ball on a fumble recovery.

“I’ve seen a lot of quarterbacks line up under the wrong guy, but I’ve never seen one call out the signals and have the center snap the ball,” Oxnard Coach Jack Davis said. “It should have been a fumble. There wasn’t any illegal procedure on that play. Larry has taken every snap this season.”

Bumpus made amends on the next play when he avoided a heavy rush and zipped an eight-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Jason Bell.

STANDING TALL

Inch for inch, pound for pounding. . . .

Granada Hills quarterback Edgar Vasquez (5-foot-7) might not be the biggest quarterback in school history--and there have been some big ones in stature and historical standing--but he might be one of the most competitive.

“He’s made some really outstanding decisions,” said Stroh, who also has praised Vasquez’s leadership. “He’ll hold that ball until the last second before he throws it, then get the Dickens knocked out of him, just get clobbered.

“Then he bounces right back up.”

After a rough start, Vasquez is progressing nicely. He passed for a career-high 201 yards last week as Granada Hills defeated Cleveland, 29-6, and he ranks second among area City Section passers with 438 yards in four games.

EXTRA! EXTRA!

Camp Kilpatrick has converted just five of 11 conversion kicks and has a loss and a tie because of the extra-point mishaps.

The Mustangs failed on all three conversions (two kicks and a pass) against Montclair Prep, and lost 21-18.

Against Village Christian two weeks ago, Camp Kilpatrick trailed, 6-0, in the fourth quarter and could have won the game after scoring a touchdown, but Cornelius Thompson’s kick was wide.

SCORING MACHINE

Sylmar’s Brian Roberson had the game of his life last week against Van Nuys, and he knows it.

Roberson, a 5-10, 165-pound senior, scored four touchdowns to lead the Spartans’ 33-0 rout. He scored on a 29-yard pass, a 30-yard run, an 82-yard punt return and a 98-yard interception return.

Since Sylmar lost a few productive players to graduation, such as free safety Girmar Johnson (Ohio State) and quarterback Daniel Terry (Taft College), Roberson has felt the need to fill the void.

“This is the year for me to shine,” Roberson said. “Last year we had all these big-time players and now they’re gone and it’s just me, and I’m rising to the occasion.”

This is the year Roberson has been waiting for since childhood.

“I always wanted the chance to prove what I could do,” he said. “I always told (Coach Jeff Engilman), ‘Just give me the ball and I’ll show you what I can do with it.’ ”

GONE SHOPPING

Crescenta Valley cross-country runner Sarah MacDougall could not find what she was looking for in a Pasadena shopping center last Thursday.

What she was looking for, however, could not be bought.

MacDougall was leading by about 400 yards in a Pacific League dual meet against Pasadena when she discovered she had missed a turn . . . three blocks back.

“She ran into a shopping center and had to ask someone where the course was,” Coach Keith Gilliland said. “Someone said (to MacDougall), ‘It’s not this way,’ ”

With MacDougall lost, Pasadena took four of the top five places in a 17-42 win.

AIR IT OUT

If you can’t beat them, you might as well throw the football.

Such is the philosophy of Hoover Coach Dennis Hughes, whose team is 0-5 and finally scored its first touchdown of the season in a 29-13 loss to La Canada on Friday.

Junior quarterback Nate Dishington completed 18 of 41 passes--both season highs--for 170 yards, and the Tornadoes actually led, 13-8, at halftime.

“We seem to be better pass blockers than run blockers,” Hughes said. “We just decided that that’s the route we’re going to take. Why not? What have we got to lose?”

STRANGE SIGHT

Quartz Hill tailback Erik Thomas also runs track, and does a fine job of it. He is the region’s top returning sprinter in the 100 meters, having run 10.62 seconds.

So how did Thomas, sprinting downfield in a broken-field run against Hart last Friday and apparently headed for a touchdown, get dragged down from behind by defensive back Davis Delmatoff?

Thomas, it turns out, aggravated a hamstring the week before Quartz Hill’s opener against Lompoc, and he has yet to recover.

“We’re still not letting him go at 100 percent,” Coach John Albee said. “We tell Erik to go about 80 percent because we don’t want him to get hurt again.”

UPS AND DOWNS

Calabasas began its season at 2-0, then confused observers by dropping its next two games without scoring a point. Particularly baffling was Calabasas’ 33-0 loss to St. Bonaventure in which several top players didn’t play for the Coyotes, including top receiver Cameron LaBrache.

But go figure Calabasas. The Coyotes bounced back to beat Moorpark, 22-21, and Coach Larry Edwards said that all is back to normal.

“We had a feast and famine the last couple of weeks,” Edwards said. “We had a couple of disciplinary cases and some injuries for the St. Bonaventure game, but we’re back to full strength now and all guns are running.”

In addition, Edwards has moved backup quarterback Todd Cignarelli into the starting position, replacing Iman Mohtashemi. The move is just in time for today’s Frontier League opener against Santa Paula.

“We can throw the ball a little better now,” Edwards said. “And if we can throw the ball (Friday) like we did last week, we can play with them.”

NO EXCUSES

Village Christian entered the season as one of Division X’s top teams. But a 1-3-1 start has raised questions about the accuracy of those projections.

Village Christian Coach Mike Plaisance, though, said he has things right where he wants them. “I’m always positive,” Plaisance said. “I’m not gonna let anything get in my way.”

In the Crusaders’ corner is the fact that seven starters have been injured this year, including key players such as wide receiver J.B. McLeod (broken ankle), center Virgil Ross (shoulder surgery) and running back Jason Gourson (broken ankle).

“But I’m not making excuses,” Plaisance said. “We’re going to chug along. If I hadn’t had all these injuries, then, yes, it would be a disappointing start. But I’m a realist. I’ve got people playing with no varsity experience.”

In addition, Plaisance has promoted sophomore quarterback Erik Pullen to bring in some competition for senior David Treanor.

GETTING EVEN

The 10-8 win by the Westlake girls’ tennis over San Marino last week was not just another victory for the 9-0 Warriors. It was revenge for the Southern Section’s top-ranked 3-A Division squad.

Last season, on the way to a title, Westlake suffered its only loss at the hands of San Marino. After splitting 18 matches, the Warriors lost, 80-78, on total games won.

“It was really disappointing to lose by two games,” Westlake Coach Connie Flanderka said. “Every girl could think of one or two games that they could have worked a little harder to win. They remembered that when they played San Marino again.”

Even though San Marino has one of Southern California’s best players in its lineup, Nicole Hummel, her three singles wins couldn’t overcome Westlake. “We don’t have a superstar,” Flanderka said. “What we do have is depth.”

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