KICKBACKAfter Hollywood sophomore receiver Ngurah Agung was...

KICKBACK

After Hollywood sophomore receiver Ngurah Agung was penalized for spiking the ball in the end zone after scoring on a 39-yard pass from quarterback Nelson Umana with 1 minute 31 seconds remaining in Friday’s game against Verdugo Hills, kicker Sarkis Minasyan was forced to attempt a 35-yard conversion. Although the senior has yet to make a field goal this season, he was successful on the conversion, making the final score 18-7.

“That kick was probably the high point of the game for us,” said Hollywood Coach Bob O’Connor.

0UP TO THE TASK

Despite playing the starting lineup for less than 8 1/2 minutes, Brentwood’s game with previously unbeaten Campbell Hall was called with 8:03 remaining because of the 45-point rule. The Eagles led, 61-12.

Each Brentwood (4-0) opponent has been rated among the top 6 in the eight-man polls.

“They’ve all been ranked until we’ve played them,” Brentwood Coach Pat Brown said.

LIVING FOR THE PRESENT

Last season, Murphy battled Montclair Prep to a 7-7 tie at halftime. Then Wilbert Smith scored on a 55-yard punt return in the third quarter to lead the Mounties to a 21-7 win.

Montclair Prep finished the season undefeated and won the Division IV championship.

“We gave them their toughest game last year,” said Murphy Coach Greg Dixon, whose team plays the Mounties on Saturday.

“That was one we felt we should have won,” said senior receiver and defensive back Gibbons St. Paul. “We knew what they were going to do and we did what we had to do. At the end of the game, just the scoreboard wasn’t right.”

COSTLY MISTAKES

The Culver City defense was caught with 10 men on the field three times in the fourth quarter of Friday’s game against Hawthorne.

The Cougars capitalized on the mistakes and scored three touchdowns in a 31-21 win.

“I was stunned,” Centaur Coach Robert Moore said. “It was unbelievable to think it could happen. But three times? Right now, we’re our worst enemies. That will never happen again.”

TWO TAKES TIME

After scoring a touchdown to trail Fairfax by a point with 2:30 remaining, University didn’t hesitate to attempt a two-point conversion.

Lal Knight passed to Michael Williams for the conversion in the 31-30 win but “we did need two timeouts to set up the play,” Warrior Coach Marshall Jones said.

SPECIAL DELIVERY

Where would Westchester be without return specialist William Reed? In a Coastal Conference opener against Manual Arts, Reed returned a kickoff 60 yards for a touchdown after Manual Arts had taken a 16-15 lead in the fourth quarter.

Reed’s touchdown proved to be the decisive score as Westchester improved to 4-0 with a 22-16 win.

The previous week, Reed returned a punt 37 yards for a touchdown in a 25-0 victory over Wilson.

Reed’s spectacular return proved to be the tonic for a sluggish team. Quarterback Seka Edwards misfired on eight of his first 10 passes. Receiver Tony Griffin, who scored on a 27-yard touchdown run, dropped two passes in the end zone.

BRING ON THE RESERVES

After taking a 42-0 halftime lead, St. Monica Coach Norm Lacy brought in the second string during a 55-0 win over Santa Paula.

The Mariners defense played well again, forcing five turnovers. Strong safety Alex Guevara returned an interception 30 yards for a touchdown. Defensive end Adrian Klemm, the son of vice principal and boys’ basketball Coach Leo Klemm, blocked two passes and had a quarterback sack.

Kenny Jackson and Oscar Casillas had outstanding offensive performances, but the longest play from scrimmage came from Giovanni Cappolonga, who had 65-yard run.

St. Monica, which won its first Camino Real League title under Lacy, will open league play Friday night against St. Anthony of Long Beach at 7:30 p.m. at Culver City High.

SHORT-CHAINED

Hamilton Coach John Ausbon acknowledges the Yankees lost to a better team Friday during a 35-6 loss to Venice. Ausbon, however, is upset about the way his team was short-chained by the referees.

Here is the scenario: Late in the fourth quarter, Venice was penalized 15 yards, but the first-down chains were moved before the officials spotted the ball. Instead of a 15-yard penalty, Venice was assessed an eight-yard penalty. The clock continued to run for 27 seconds while the officials tried to decide where to spot the ball. Ausbon complained and was ejected from the game.

“I don’t think the officiating was fair,” Ausbon said. “I feel really cheated. They gave us a bad spot earlier in the game. They ran the clock when they shouldn’t have.

“We would have lost anyway, but there was no reason for the officials to help them. They stopped the flow of the game.”

CLAIRVOYANT

Palisades ended a three-game losing streak and won its first game under Coach Russ Howard in a 27-22 victory over Los Angeles.

The Dolphins held a 27-0 third-quarter lead, but Los Angeles charged back with three touchdowns in the fourth quarter.

“We made the game exciting,” Howard said. “We handed them two touchdowns and had a turnover that led to another touchdown.”

After cutting its deficit to five points with seven seconds left, Los Angeles tried an onside kick, but Palisades recovered to secure the victory.

Palisades quarterback Chris Kasteler had one of his best games, completing nine of 16 passes for 171 yards and a touchdown. Running back Lafayette May had nine carries for 161 yards, including touchdown runs of 53 and 17 yards.

“Offensively, we’re starting to click,” Howard said. “Chris improved greatly but still hasn’t had his best game.”

The Dolphins improved to 1-3, but more important are 1-0 in Coastal Conference play.

“I knew we were going to have trouble and not be a good team until midseason,” Howard said. “Obviously, a win helps us big time.”

ON-FIELD TRAINING

Beverly Hills is putting its young team through some on-field training. Coach Carter Paysinger thinks the Normans have a promising future despite a 20-7 loss to West Torrance on Friday.

“It’s the same old story,” Paysinger said. “We’re fighting ourselves trying to understand the system. Our quarterback tries to do things he doesn’t understand.”

The quarterback is Chris Wallace, a junior transfer from University who threw four interceptions and was sacked seven times. He completed 12 of 47 passes for 121 yards and a touchdown.

The Normans play at Peninsula (4-0) on Friday.

“Things look bleak now, but we have a chance to turn it around,” Paysinger said. “We haven’t started league yet.”

COMMUNITY COLLEGES

Santa Monica and West Los Angeles earned their first victories of the season Saturday. Santa Monica (1-2) beat Glendale, 28-21. West L.A. (1-2) did not need to take the field against Harbor.

Harbor forfeited its game with West L.A. after Harbor officials decided to temporarily suspend the school’s football program after a brawl among Harbor and Pierce coaches, players and fans in a Sept. 25 game at Wilmington.

The forfeit left West L.A., which had a bye Sept. 18, with its second off week in a month.

“A win is a win, but it is not how I would like to get them,” West L.A. Coach Rob Hager said. “We have a team trying to improve and not playing is not helping us get better.”

West L.A. freshman Michael Black ranks third in the state for all-purpose yardage, averaging 200.5 yards a game. The 6-foot-2, 195-pound tailback is also fifth in rushing with an average of 148.5.

The Oilers will play host to Ventura (0-3) in a 1 p.m. Western State Conference game Saturday. Ventura, which suffered a 14-0 loss to Pierce last week, has been outscored, 98-0, in three games.

Santa Monica quarterback Jorge Blanco completed 11 of 17 passes for 289 yards and three touchdowns, including a school-record 99-yard touchdown pass to Kory Jones, as Santa Monica rallied from a 14-0 deficit against host Glendale (1-2).

Blanco, a freshman from Venice High who replaced starter Larry Elmer in the second quarter, also combined on a 60-yard scoring pass with Jones in the third quarter to give the Corsairs its first lead of the game, 21-20--and season.

It was the first Santa Monica victory in nine years at Glendale. The Corsairs will play host to Santa Barbara (1-2) in a WSC game Saturday night.