‘New’ Rules, Lancers Trouble Canadians

Coach Brian Buchynski had a tough time getting his Ross Sheppard team ready for Friday’s game at Sunny Hills. The Lancers play an entirely different brand of football than Sheppard’s team is used to--American football.

Sheppard, located in Edmonton, had to adjust to a number of rule differences between the Canadian and the American versions of the game.

“The hardest thing was figuring out which one of our starters to take out on offense and on defense,” said Buchynski, who is used to the 12-man game played at the professional and amateur levels in Canada. “Then we had to adjust our blocking schemes. And here, the (offensive) motion before the play is a lot more restricted.”

Another notable difference is that in Canada, the defense must line up one yard off the ball.

However, Sunny Hills Coach Tim Devaney wasn’t overly sympathetic, noting that his squad had the same adjustment problems when they played at Sheppard last season.

“In Canadian rules, an offensive player who is lined up behind the punter on a punt play can recover the ball. They kind of got a laugh out of that when it happened (last year), and our kids didn’t know what was going on.”

Apparently, the Lancers were fast learners. They won, 34-9, last season, then took the rematch, 42-6, Friday.

*

Wrong country: The Newport Harbor band lined up on the field before the Sailors’ game Thursday against Foothill. The P.A. announcer said, “Please rise for the national anthem.”

A second later, Foothill’s football team appeared and the Knights’ band broke into the school fight song, “On Wisconsin.”

*

Diversity training: Talk about abstinence and indulgence. Woodbridge lineman Timothy John Miller lists in the team program the person he would most like to spend a day with: Gandhi. His personal hero? Wilt Chamberlain.

Fellow lineman Ben Burgess’ heroes are Ren and Stimpy, Henry David Thoreau and Al Bundy.

*

Degree of difficulty: An angry Newport Harbor assistant hollered out to officials during Thursday’s game against Foothill, “That’s roughing the kicker!”

An official replied, “He didn’t rough him, he just hit him.”

*

Valencia running back Chris Draft and El Dorado’s Terry Williams collided near the goal line during Friday night’s 28-0 Tiger victory. Williams got right up, but Draft reached out to the referee for a hand up. The referee refused.

“Come on, help him up,” Williams said.

Said Draft: “Yeah, I’m not the enemy.”

The referee still refused.

*

Katella played without its leading rusher, Chad Fassler, who missed the game with a quadruple ear infection.

“I told Chad that the way we were playing, we may not need him again,” said Knight Coach Larry Anderson after his team’s 30-7 victory over Orange Friday.

*

On the Record:

“Grant is like a Timex, or whatever that Eveready bunny is . . . he takes a licking and keeps on going.”

--Pat Mahoney, Villa Park coach on his running back Grant Pearsall, who rushed for 160 yards and three touchdowns in 23 carries during the Spartans’ 28-21 loss to Trabuco Hills Friday.

*

On the Record II:

“I don’t know what kind of preparation would be good for those guys, but we’ll be there.”

--Dave Holland, Corona del Mar coach, on the Sea Kings’ opponent in their Sea View League opener Saturday against Irvine.