Starr-Crossed Schaeffer Offers Silent Treatment

After Reseda High was humiliated, 39-13, by Taft on Friday night, Reseda football Coach Joel Schaeffer refused to strike back verbally.

On Saturday, he saw that Taft Coach Troy Starr admitted running up the score because he believes Schaeffer had done so in the past. Still, the Reseda coach was mum, saying only: “Talk to my administration. They will speak for me.”

OK, Reseda assistant principal Dimitri Vadetsky, take it away:

“In high school athletics, to me, there is supposed to be a lot of sportsmanship and self-esteem developed, and I think (Starr) is more like a professional coach.

“He just needs to grow up.”

Vadetsky, who has worked alongside Schaeffer for 14 years, also does not believe Schaeffer had humiliated teams the way Starr, 31, did.

“Joel’s character, to me, is unquestioned,” Vadetsky said.

Those on the Reseda sideline were not the only ones who believed Starr’s actions were improper. As his team was lining up for an onside kick in the final minute, a Taft administrator told Starr repeatedly, “Don’t do this.”

The kick was recovered by Taft, and a long pass was thrown on the first play from scrimmage.

Starr chose Saturday to let his comments after the game stand, with one addition:

“We just decided that when we play (Reseda),” he said, “we are going to do it for 48 minutes.”

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Spread the praise: One of the unsung heroes of Alemany’s shocking 14-13 victory over Canyon on Friday night was senior defensive back Henry Castillo.

Castillo preserved a 14-7 lead by intercepting a pass at the Alemany three in the final seconds of the second quarter. He also recovered a fumble by Canyon’s Ed Williams with 6 minutes 20 seconds to play and the Indians clinging to their one-point lead. Castillo’s final key play came during Canyon’s last drive, when he jumped to deflect what could have been a game-winning touchdown pass.

The Indians, who had already upset Crescenta Valley, are 3-2 after winning only once in 1992.

“We have a lot better defense this year,” Castillo said. “We have people flying all over to where they are supposed to be.”

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Spread the blame: Four area teams failed to convert kicks to win or tie games late in the fourth quarter Friday night. But in each case, the kicker was not solely at fault.

Here they are:

* Canoga Park. A bad snap doomed the Hunters. Victor Oliveras never kicked what would have been a 35-yard field goal with four seconds to play and the game against Birmingham ended a scoreless tie.

* Moorpark. Against Oak Park, the holder simply didn’t, well, hold. With 1:09 remaining, the snap went through his hands, denying Garrett Courtney the chance to kick what might have been the winning extra point. The game ended in a 9-9 tie.

* Canyon. The Cowboys’ Ricky Engbrecht hooked a 33-yarder to the right with 18 seconds to play and Alemany won, 14-13. The snap and hold were good, but maybe Coach Harry Welch is to blame for not sending Engbrecht out to kick a field goal in the first four games, then expecting him to convert in a pressure situation. In fact, Welch doesn’t even have Engbrecht practice field goals in pregame warm-ups.

* Hart. A kicker who perhaps shouldn’t have been on the field was the Indians’ Matt Kohl. Hart Coach Mike Herrington decided to kick an extra point that would have tied Eisenhower with 2:50 to play. The snap was low, the kick was missed and Eisenhower won, 15-14.

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Fun with numbers: Newbury Park receiver Leodes Van Buren, who Friday set Southern Section records for receptions (211) and yardage (3,472), is six catches and 27 yards from breaking the state records in those categories, held by Todd DiCello (Healdsburg) and Greg Siwek (Cupertino Monte Vista), respectively.

Van Buren’s teammate, quarterback Keith Smith, who Friday set the Ventura County passing yardage record (7,282), is 352 yards from eclipsing Pat Haden (Bishop Amat) and 1,901 yards from moving ahead of Todd Marinovich (Mater Dei and Capistrano Valley) on the Southern Section list.

By the way, Van Buren needs only 48 yards to reach two miles in receptions. Smith has passed for more than 4.1 miles.

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Add Smith: The Newbury Park quarterback completed a pass to Trevor Koville for a two-point conversion Friday night.

No big deal? He threw it left-handed.

Smith, a right-handed thrower, threw the pass with his left hand because he was rolling left to avoid pressure.

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Injury updates: St. Francis two-way lineman Ben Kadletz is not injured as badly as initially feared. Kadletz, a Division I prospect, suffered a stretched medial collateral ligament in his right knee Friday against Pasadena. Kadletz’s father, Jon, said Saturday that his son would miss two or three games. . . .

X-rays taken Saturday showed that Simi Valley quarterback Jeremie Watkins, the area’s third-leading passer, sustained a hairline fracture of his left ankle against Royal on Friday night. He will be examined again Monday to determine the extent of the injury.