Antelope Valley Relieved After Stopping Littlerock

Antelope Valley High Coach Brent Newcomb is breathing a little easier now.

After watching his team get blown out of its past three games, Newcomb was understandably nervous about the Antelopes’ Golden League opener Friday night against Littlerock.

However Antelope Valley’s bend-but-don’t-break defense, combined with a strong rushing performance from junior tailback C.J. Fagan, helped brighten Newcomb’s outlook and earn the Antelopes a 29-14 victory.

“After those three losses, we really needed this one,” Newcomb said.

Antelope Valley (3-3), which had been outscored, 99-14, by Bakersfield, Loyola and Muir in the past weeks, finally had a respectable ground attack.

The Antelopes amassed 218 rushing yards, 66 more than their season average for total offense. Fagan was their leader--rushing for 164 yards in 16 carries--but never scored. That was left to senior fullback Heath Renfro, who scored on runs of two and three yards.

Antelope Valley raced to a 22-14 halftime lead. Less than 10 minutes into the game, Antelope Valley was up, 12-0, after two Bayi Hilton touchdown passes. Flanker Graham Hill grabbed the first, covering 16 yards. That play was set up by Fagan’s 50-yard run on Antelope Valley’s first snap from scrimmage.

Antelope Valley’s Keith Schiele blocked a punt less than two minutes later, giving the Antelopes possession at Littlerock’s 17. One stuffed rushing attempt and a penalty later, Hilton hit David Newman with a 27-yard strike.

It looked like Littlerock (4-2) was in for a drubbing in the first league game in the school’s short history, but as quickly as Antelope Valley took the lead, the Lobos erased it.

Sophomore Bryan Wilkins, who rushed for 94 yards in the first half and finished with 106, cut and juked his way 48 yards for a touchdown. Less than a minute later, Jeff Kelley intercepted a Hilton pass and returned it 11 yards to the Antelopes’ 29. Wilkins went back to work with back-to-back slashing runs of 12 and 17 yards, scoring on the later. John Venema’s two-point conversion run gave Littlerock its first and only lead of the game.

But before intermission Antelope Valley added a Shrout field goal and Renfro’s two-yard run.