Buena Coach Hopes Team Is Unconditional Success at End

Buena High football Coach Rick Scott was perplexed by his team’s fatigue in the fourth quarter of its 21-14 nonleague loss to Westlake last week. Many Bulldogs looked lethargic throughout most of the second half as the Warriors overcame a 14-7 halftime deficit. Scott is hoping the Bulldogs can save energy for the waning moments tonight against Agoura.

“We had three long weeks of conditioning and we just lost our legs against Westlake,” Scott said. “We tried to grind it out and control the clock in the second half, and maybe I should have opened it up a little more, but I thought we were in good enough shape to run George (Keiaho) and control the clock.

“Hopefully, we can stay fresh for a whole game this week.”

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Gabriela Rodriguez of Oxnard (17 minutes 57 seconds over the three-mile course) finished a distant third behind Jessica De La Cerda (17:23) of Hart and Molly Mehlberg (17:27) of Peninsula in the Seaside Invitational at San Buenaventura State Beach in Ventura on Saturday, but neither she nor Coach Derek Turner was overly concerned with the loss.

Turner said all summer that Rodriguez, the third-place finisher in the 3,200 meters in the state track championships in June, would start the season slowly before gradually building to a peak at the state championships in November.

Rodriguez’s time--30 seconds faster than she ran at Seaside last year--seems to indicate that she’s on the right track.

MARMONTE LEAGUE

Great Expectations

The Agoura girls’ volleyball team recently served notice to its league rivals that it is the team to beat this season.

The Chargers finished fifth--the highest finish among four league teams--in last weekend’s power-laden California Classic tournament at Thousand Oaks.

“That’s a good finish for them,” Royal Coach Bob Ferguson said. “They kind of let the rest of the league know they expect to win (the league title).”

Four area teams--Agoura, Thousand Oaks, Royal and Westlake--participated in the 16-team tournament, which featured eight teams ranked among the top 20 in the state’s preseason poll, including Poway (ranked third), the Lancers (11th) and the Chargers (17th).

NORTHWEST VALLEY

Return on Investment

Taft has made an investment in its passing game, which probably needed it.

Coach Troy Starr purchased a $1,700 automated passing machine, mainly to throw passes to track speedster Andre DeSaussure, who pulled down five passes for 106 yards in last week’s 3-0 victory over Crespi. “We’re making him catch 100 balls a day,” Starr said.

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It’ll soon be air time for Kennedy--and not in terms of the passing game.

Coach Bob Francola was interviewed last weekend by a Bakersfield radio station regarding his team’s nonleague game with powerhouse Bakersfield tonight.

Francola said he did a live interview that lasted several minutes, then recorded another interview to be played before the game. Self-reviews were mixed.

“It was just like ‘Bull Durham,’ ” Francola said. “I used all the cliches and said all the right things.”

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Francola figured the team’s reception at Sylmar last week would be icy. After all, it was Kennedy assistant Tom Sams’ videotape of an improper Sylmar meeting on Labor Day that prompted the City Section to place the Spartans on probation for the year. Yeah, Kennedy was keeping its collective eyes open, but maintaining its sense of humor, too.

“Sams was looking for a red laser light on his shirt the whole game,” Francola cracked.

GOLDEN LEAGUE

Wanted: Big Leg

Calling all kickers.

Littlerock Coach Jim Bauer was in a quandary. Three days before the season began, his kicker moved to Reseda. In last week’s 22-15 victory over Serrano, he was forced to give the ball to running back Bryan Wilkins on all three two-point conversion attempts. Wilkins scored on two of three tries.

This week’s goal is to find somebody who can boot one over the crossbar.

“It’s going to be a complete casting call,” Bauer said. “We’ve rounded up all the soccer guys on campus.”

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Antelope Valley, ranked eighth in Southern Section Division I, is playing tailback roulette.

Three backs--C.J. Fagan, Chad Murphy and Jermaine Lewis--played last week and combined for 90 yards and two touchdowns in 18 carries.

Coach Brent Newcomb, who is trying to keep the legs of all three fresh, will continue the shuttle plan. Since he has only 33 players on the varsity, the three must contribute defensively.

“I might start rotating them by series, but I’m not sure,” Newcomb said. “(Either way), it’s hard to get into a rhythm.”

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Welcome back, Michael Perry.

Perry, a running back who missed much of last season because of a broken collarbone, rushed for 177 yards in 15 carries (11.8 average) to lead Quartz Hill to a 46-13 victory over Victor Valley last week. Last season, Perry rushed for 235 yards in 51 carries (4.6 average).

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Last year, Antonio Arce of Palmdale was considered one of the top sophomore runners in the area.

On Saturday, he indicated he could be one of the top runners in the Southern Section when he finished second in the junior race of the Seaside Invitational.

Arce’s time of 14:48 over the three-mile course left him five seconds behind Brett Strahan of Hart (14:43), but well ahead of Kevin Marsden (third in 15:07) and Jeff Fischer (fourth in 15:08) of Thousand Oaks.

Strahan placed seventh in last year’s state Division I championships with Fischer eighth and Marsden 30th.

“(Saturday) was a major breakthrough race for Antonio,” Palmdale Coach Rob Fairley said. “He was a little unsure of himself running against guys like Strahan and Fischer, but now he knows he can hang with the big boys.”

FOOTHILL LEAGUE

Running Strong

Don’t look now, but the Hart boys’ cross-country team appears to have a chance at winning its fourth consecutive state Division I title this season.

Although the Indians finished a distant second behind Thousand Oaks in the Seaside Invitational, they ran without senior Gavin Klinger, who was sidelined because of a bruised heel.

Thousand Oaks, the top-ranked team in the state Division I poll, won the meet with a cumulative time of 75:37 for its five fastest runners. Fifth-ranked Hart placed second at 76:52, but a healthy Klinger probably would have reduced the Indians’ time by about a minute.

As a junior, Klinger placed 36th in the

state cross-country championships and timed 4:15.7 in the 1,600 meters during track season.

“(Gavin) seems to be fine,” Hart Coach Larry David said. “He’s been working out with us, but we just want to be a little cautious with him in regard to racing.”

Klinger is expected to make his season debut in the Bell-Jeff Invitational at Griffith Park on Sept. 25.

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The Thousand Oaks High football team drove about 50 miles and arrived on time. It was the buses of host Saugus--which had to come only five miles--that were late rolling into College of the Canyons last week, forcing a delay of more than 20 minutes before kickoff. The Centurions were evidently ready to play, however. They defeated Thousand Oaks, 34-21.

PACIFIC LEAGUE

Out for the Season

Crescenta Valley water polo player Towner Douglas suffered a ruptured right biceps muscle in three places in a water-skiing accident on Labor Day and will be sidelined for the season.

The senior was ski-boarding (using a surfboard-type ski instead of water skis) on Buena Vista Lake near Bakersfield and tried to do a helicopter--a 360-degree turn. His arm became tangled with the tow rope handle, which ruptured the muscle in three places.

“It was the worst pain I’ve ever experienced,” he said.

Douglas was rushed to a hospital in Valencia and underwent surgery. He said he should regain full use of his arm in six months.

“It’s very disappointing,” he said. “I was looking forward to a good season and doing well in the (Southern Section playoffs).”

FRONTIER LEAGUE

Sister Act

Talk about your potential for sibling rivalry.

The Nordhoff girls’ volleyball program boasts almost as many sisters as a convent: identical twins Brandi and Stephanie Keeter, Tacy and Carlee Franklin and Laurel and Amelia Eastman (Amelia is on the junior varsity).

In addition, standout players Jamie Sawyer and Julie Sandefur both have sisters who were seniors on the Rangers last season--Southern Section Division IV player of the year Sami Sawyer and Joana Sandefur.

Coach Cheryl Glass says her team gets along like, well, a family.

“Our biggest strength is that the team gets along well and communicates well, and seems to be having a lot of fun and enjoying each other in practice,” she said. “That’s a huge strength, and it’s part of the blending process and forming a new identity.”

Around the Leagues. . . .

* Notre Dame kicker Chris Sailer made all four of his extra-point attempts in the Knights’ opener. A junior, Sailer is perfect in 29 attempts in his high school career.

* Rio Mesa quarterback Don DiDomizio and running back Junior Liufau, who each ran for more than 1,000 yards last year, started strong this season in a 32-0 nonleague win over Channel Islands. DiDomizio gained 172 yards in 12 carries and scored one touchdown, and Liufau had 71 yards in seven carries with two touchdowns. . . .

* Hueneme has not fared well in opening games under third-year Coach Ed Knight. The Vikings have lost all three and have been outscored, 142-32, an average of 47.3 to 10.6. . . .

* Hueneme has lost 22 consecutive games under Knight. Nine more will give the Vikings the dubious distinction of tying for 15th on the state’s all-time list for consecutive losses.

* Littlerock junior Bryan Wilkins, known best as a running back, rushed for 180 yards in 22 carries last week. He also had three solo tackles, caused one fumble and intercepted a pass from his free safety position. Littlerock recorded five sacks by as many players in the game.

* Hoover kicker Gerardo Arroyo was penalized Saturday for attempting an extra point with a bare foot, a high school rules violation. He made the kick barefoot, then made it again from 10 yards farther back, wearing a shoe.

* Hoover quarterback Alan Lau, who played junior varsity football at Burbank last season, was treated rather rudely in his debut against his former teammates. Lau was sacked six times and four of his passes were intercepted in the Tornadoes’ 28-7 loss to the Bulldogs.

* St. Francis has its answer to The Fridge. Ben Kadletz, the Golden Knights’ all-league, 6-foot-4, 270-pound lineman, carried the ball once for two yards and lined up in the backfield on several other plays.

* After poor-mouthing his team in the preseason, Bill Redell began his St. Francis coaching career with a 21-0 victory over Burroughs. “If I could just quit now, I’d be in good shape,” he said.

* The 61 points Canyon scored last week against Castle Park of San Diego were the most since the Cowboys beat Burroughs, 62-6, in 1985.

* Former Crespi standout J.J. Lasley, who played at Stanford, gave the Celts a pep talk before their opener last week against Taft. Crespi responded with a 3-0 loss.

* Agoura volleyball setter Tammy Burris was the only area player to earn all-tournament honors in the California Classic tournament last weekend.

* Canyon defeated Saugus, 20-18, to earn third place in the 15-team Ventura volleyball tournament last weekend. It was the best finish by an area team. The Centurions were ranked third in Division III and the Cowboys eighth.

Kennedy Cosgrove and staff writers Steve Elling, Dana Haddad, Jason H. Reid and John Ortega contributed to this notebook.

Tops in Ventura County

Rio Mesa Coach John Reardon is Ventura County’s all-time leader in football victories. A victory over Camarillo tonight would give Reardon his 150th victory in 26 seasons. Here are the five winningest active coaches:

Coach School Yr W L T John Reardon Rio Mesa 26 149 115 4 Joel Gershon Channel Islds 20 122 82 3 Bob Richards Thousand Oaks 11 76 35 6 Carl Thompson Camarillo 11 65 48 0 Rick Scott Buena 6 35 22 0