Antelope Win Brings Smiles All Around

Football coaches often don faces of granite, no matter the circumstance. Yet, on occasion, even the most stodgy let their guard down.

Longtime Antelope Valley High Coach Brent Newcomb removed his coach’s mask and stomped on it while rejoicing with his players, assistants and the team’s fans after the Antelopes’ 15-14 nonleague win over visiting state power Loyola. The thrill of Friday night spilled over well into the next day.

“The place is still pretty wild . . . there’s so much excitement,” Newcomb said. “We have a group of true fans who we call ‘Lopes, and the ‘Lopes have been on the phones all day long.

“The enthusiasm has been super. (The Antelope Valley) is pretty spread out, but people are talking about the game all over the place.”

As well they should. The victory ended a run of frustration and embarrassment for the Antelopes (3-1). In the teams’ eight previous meetings, Loyola held a 7-0-1 advantage. What’s more, the Cubs--who entered the game 3-0 and ranked sixth in the state by Cal-Hi Sports--had outscored the Antelopes, 111-17, in the past five games.

And it could have been worse, much worse, according to Newcomb.

“A couple of times they could have scored 70 on us,” Newcomb said, “but they called off their studs real early. So to finally get one against them just fires up the whole team, our coaching staff and fans.”

Newcomb, though, cannot revel in the moment for much longer: Up next for the Antelopes is another powerhouse, Muir.

“Well, we’re going to enjoy it for as long as we can,” he said. “Right now, this is just a super boost.”

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Big three: Here is how one area recruiter of a prominent in-state Division I football program rates the Valley-area talent at running back (seniors only):

* 1. Franklin Saunders (Chaminade), 5-foot-11, 185 pounds.

* 2. Wilbert Smith (Montclair Prep), 5-8, 180.

* 3. Tyrone Crenshaw (Sylmar), 6-0, 185.

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Trivia time: Which Ventura County running back just moved into sixth place on the all-time state rushing list? Hint: He is a bulldog of a player.

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Talk less, play better: Hart players said they were the subject of taunts and barbs from Alemany throughout the teams’ nonleague game, which was what they expected.

Last season, Hart routed Alemany, 43-0, and Alemany Coach Pat Degnan charged Hart Coach Mike Herrington with running up the score. Angry words continued in the days leading up to Friday’s game, and Degnan went as far as to suggest that Hart’s performance last season might have been prompted by a grudge he believed Hart offensive coordinator Dean Herrington, Mike’s brother, held against him.

“They were talking a lot of trash all game long,” Hart receiver Mark Mahone said. “They started bad-mouthing us in the warm-ups and they never let up.”

Said Hart quarterback Mike Kocicka: “They were saying stuff like, ‘Why don’t you guys play real football and try to pound it out against us.’ They kept saying that we weren’t any good, that they were going to shut us out.”

Hart’s reply?

“We didn’t say anything,” Kocicka said, “we just pointed at the scoreboard when we left.”

And the scoreboard read: Hart 14, Alemany 7 .

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One (big) play too many: Granada Hills co-Coach Darryl Stroh felt relatively confident the Highlanders were headed for their first win during the waning moments of a North Valley League battle with visiting San Fernando. Granada Hills had weathered the momentum of three long Tiger scoring plays, and Stroh was hoping the worst was over.

Then came big play No. 4.

Tiger quarterback Leon Blunt’s broken-play, 77-yard touchdown gallop with 38 seconds remaining was the back-breaker, and the Highlanders lost, 28-25, to fall to 0-4.

“Four plays . . . four plays were the difference,” Stroh lamented. “They definitely have the talent, so it wasn’t a freakish thing, but it hurts an awful lot to lose a game that way.”

In order, San Fernando’s other big plays:

* Brian Jackson’s 79-yard run (first quarter).

* Flip Aguilar’s 39-yard touchdown reception from Blunt (second quarter).

* Lavell Thompson’s 23-yard touchdown run (third quarter).

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Trivia answer: Buena senior running back George Keiaho. Keiaho, who rushed for 267 yards in the Bulldogs’ 28-22 Channel League opener against Rio Mesa, has 5,298 yards in his career. He surpassed Tyreese Knox (5,217), who played for two schools in Daly City from 1980-83.