Van Nuys is Grounded by Sylmar, 48-14

Sylmar High produced 473 yards of offense and blew past Van Nuys for a 48-14 victory Friday night in an East Valley League game.

The Spartans’ ground game, a five-player effort, rolled for 395 yards and scored six touchdowns.

Sylmar (6-1-1, 5-0 in league play), which has outscored five Valley Pac-8 Conference opponents, 239-34, has not lost a league or conference game since 1989. Van Nuys, which had a six-game winning streak snapped, dropped to 6-2, 4-1.

“It was a team effort tonight,” Sylmar Coach Jeff Engilman said. “We’re executing better now. The line is starting to pick up the blocking schemes whereas they weren’t before.”

Every Spartan who took a handoff from quarterback Eddie Lopez finished with more than 50 rushing yards.

The future is sophomore fullback Durell Price, who rushed for a game-high 124 yards in five carries. Three runs were for first downs, the other two for touchdowns of 25 and 53 yards.

“He’s a big-time ballplayer,” said Engilman, who sported an ear-to-ear smile over the mention of Price.

Tyrone Crenshaw, the 1992 City Section 4-A player of the year, rushed for 85 yards in 14 carries and scored on runs of one, two and 10 yards.

Mark Reynosa carried three times and scored on a 67-yard run. Dwight Patton carried twice for 53 yards. But the run-of-the-night award went to junior fullback Floyd Chalk.

On first down at the Sylmar 20, Chalk went around right end and stood up Shonrick Brame at the 35, then stepped over him and raced another 31 yards for a 46-yard carry. Brame had to be helped off the field and did not return.

Sylmar held a 21-0 lead at halftime on two scoring runs by Crenshaw and a 25-yard touchdown by Price. The rest seemed academic.

The Spartan defense, top-ranked among area City teams, allowed 238 yards, 112 more than its average, but most of the yardage came against the reserves.