Joke Proves Impractical for Merkel

Pranks between rival schools are nothing new in high school sports.

A practical joke played on an opponent in the days before a game is almost as common as stretching in pregame warm-ups--at least in the Marmonte League.

But one practical joke last week kept Westlake High offensive tackle Steve Merkel from more than pregame stretches Friday night. Merkel and a few anonymous teammates sneaked out to Agoura on Wednesday night and painted a Westlake mascot warrior head in the middle of the Agoura football field.

The jig was up when the Warriors were caught in the act by a police officer on patrol. As the group fled the scene, Merkel--and only Merkel--was apprehended.

“There was no disguising a guy 6-foot-2, 270 (pounds),” Westlake Coach Jim Benkert said.

Merkel was suspended from school for two days and was not allowed to play in or attend the Warriors’ game against Agoura.

But, that didn’t seem just punishment for the Agoura Chargers. The day after the prank, somebody (perhaps Agoura players?) stole a huge letter C from a Westlake sign that then read, “--LASS OF 1993” and placed it in the center of the Westlake football field, adorned hills surrounding the field with toilet paper and painted over the Warrior mascot, according to Benkert. No one was apprehended. “It was a prank the way it’s supposed to be done--where no one gets caught,” Benkert said.

In the end, the Warriors had the last laugh.

“We won the football game,” said Benkert, whose team defeated Agoura, 20-12. “That’s the important thing.”

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Mood swings: By halftime Friday night, Palmdale quarterback Rocque Sandoval had passed for 278 yards and fueled his team to a 31-21 lead over Golden League rival Quartz Hill.

But Quartz Hill came out blitzing in the second half and suddenly Sandoval looked less like Rocky and more like Bullwinkle.

The Rebels picked off four Sandoval passes in the second half and scored 27 consecutive points to claim a 48-37 victory. Brian Stouch’s scoring 18-yard interception return in the third quarter gave Quartz Hill a 35-31 lead, one it would not relinquish.

“It was terrible, especially the way they did it,” said Albert Lairson, a Palmdale receiver who had 10 receptions for 168 yards. “Their offense was not that dominating.”

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Extinct? Three articles of evidence from Friday night games suggest that defense has gone the way of the dinosaur.

1. Buena 74, Hueneme 34.

2. Montclair Prep 63, Cerritos 42.

3. Quartz Hill 48, Palmdale 37.

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A little slice of seven: Montclair Prep tailback Wilbert Smith, last week’s Cal-Hi Sports state athlete of the week, rolled another Seven with a capital S Friday night.

Smith, who scored seven touchdowns a week ago against Mar Vista of San Diego, scored seven more seven days later against Cerritos.

Smith leads the state with 1,891 rushing yards and 194 points. The 5-foot-8, 180-pound senior has scored 32 touchdowns in seven games and is 88 points away from the Southern Section single-season record.

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Add numbers: Interestingly, Smith was not the region’s leading rusher this weekend. Buena’s George Keiaho earned that distinction by running for 390 yards and six touchdowns in 30 carries against Hueneme. Keiaho has 1,724 yards rushing and 26 touchdowns this season.

Buena did, however, set a Southern Section record with 656 rushing yards, shattering the mark of 629 set in 1983 by Rubidoux against Corona.

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A foot short: Notre Dame junior kicker Chris Sailer made 42 consecutive extra-point kicks the past two seasons, but his 43rd attempt was blocked Friday night by Harvard-Westlake.

If Sailer had converted the kick, he would have tied Bob Teel of Temple City (1972) for 10th on the all-time Southern Section list.