Hardiest Fans Found Link to Big Game

It shaped up as one of the biggest Golden League football games in years. Quartz Hill and Antelope Valley, spirited high school rivals for 30 years, had only one defeat between them.

Nonetheless, coaches from both schools bemoaned the fact that even in the isolated Antelope Valley, fan attendance has been spiraling downward in recent years. They hoped the attractive matchup would give football in the region a shot in the arm.

It did. A capacity throng estimated at between 3,500 and 4,000 witnessed host Quartz Hill’s 13-9 victory Friday night.

“That’s probably the biggest crowd here since 1983,” Quartz Hill Coach John Albee said. “That’s good to see.”

Good and bad, actually, because some fans couldn’t see at all. As remarkable as the turnout was the turn away.

Nicholson Field already was jammed to capacity a half-hour before kickoff and hundreds of fans ended up watching the game through a chain-link fence on the north side of the stadium. Undaunted despite the chill and poor sight lines, most remained until the game ended.

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Call them the Rubber Band.

Albee lauded his defense’s “bend-but-don’t-break” effort against Antelope Valley. Sure, that’s a coaching cliche, but his team may have set a new standard for elasticity.

Antelope Valley had 10 possessions in the game and nine times the Antelopes crossed the 50-yard line.

The other possession? Antelope Valley, which had 288 yards, stalled just short of midfield, at its 44.

Quartz Hill inside linebacker Brian Pereira had 17 tackles to spark the defense.

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Quartz Hill had to try something different. The old routine wasn’t working.

With quarterback Brad Norris getting knocked down regularly--he was sacked six times--the Rebels made an adjustment in their passing attack against Antelope Valley. Quartz Hill, which uses as many as four receivers in some sets, sent two receivers deep late in the third quarter and kept the tight end on the offensive line for pass blocking.

The result: Norris hit speedster Troy Searcy for a 56-yard touchdown to give Quartz Hill a 13-9 victory.

“It gave him the extra second to throw,” Albee said.

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What a relief.

Because of a crucial penalty, Quartz Hill nearly let the victory slip away in the final moments of the fourth quarter. Faced with fourth and one at the Antelope Valley 38, Albee elected not to punt with two minutes remaining. A first down would mean Quartz Hill could kill the clock.

A quick handoff up the middle to Pereira gained enough for the first down--but the celebration was brief. Quartz Hill was flagged for holding and was forced to punt. Antelope Valley drove to the Quartz Hill 41 with under a minute to play before the Rebel defense held.

“You don’t usually see a holding call on a wedge play,” Albee said. “I was surprised.”

NORTHWEST VALLEY

Body Count Climbs

As the television commercial goes, “All it takes is a few good men.” Chatsworth has more than a few good ones. Trouble is, they don’t have many average ones.

Or anyone at all, practically.

Chatsworth (3-6) started last week’s game against Kennedy with 22 players. Before it was over, two more had been sidelined by injury. Kennedy won, 45-0.

“We’re having a few problems,” Chatsworth Coach Myron Gibford said. “It’s been one of those years where nothing goes right.”

Take, for instance, Gibford’s quarterback situation. Starter Aaron Hummel was involved in a car accident Friday and had to leave the game with a sore neck. His backup, Dan Lillback, threw a pass that was intercepted by Kennedy linebacker Vince Carthron (6 feet, 240 pounds), who ran over Lillback while returning the pass for a touchdown.

Lillback lay on the field for several minutes, writhing in pain.

“It was really ugly,” Kennedy Coach Bob Francola said. “It was hard to watch on film.”

Lillback (5-8, 150) suffered a knee injury on the play and is lost for the season. Third-string quarterback Golden Fowler completed one of 15 passes for minus-five yards.

Off the field, the news isn’t much better. Gibford lost starting lineman Dan Crespo to academic ineligibility this week. The coach said he will promote players from the frosh-soph team to round out the roster.

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Leon Blunt as Randall Cunningham?

Remember when the Rams upset the Philadelphia Eagles in the 1990 NFL playoffs by allowing Cunningham, a dangerous ad-lib runner, to remain in the pocket and pass at will? It seems that area teams have begun to defend Blunt--the Northwest Valley Conference MVP last year--the same way.

In short, it’s better to allow Blunt to throw the ball rather than chase him from the pocket to make one of his patented broken-field runs.

In a loss to Reseda two weeks ago, Blunt didn’t complete a pass. In a loss last week to El Camino Real, Blunt completed five of 17 for 109 yards.

“A lot of guys have been dropping balls,” San Fernando Coach Sean Blunt said. “When (defenses) dare you to throw, you have to catch the ball.

“If I was a defensive coordinator playing us, I’d make us throw, too.”

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For two weeks, Jamal Anderson’s single-season rushing record at El Camino Real has been in jeopardy. And yes, he is keeping track.

Even though he now plays at Utah, Anderson, a former El Camino Real fullback, knows that tailback Chris Shinnick has that mark in his sights.

Said Anderson last week: “That little dude break my record yet?”

The answer is no, but not by much. Shinnick needs nine yards to tie the mark of 1,153 set by Anderson in 1989. Shinnick rushed for 130 yards last week in a 14-13 victory over San Fernando.

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Taft linebacker Melvin Fulcher (5-9, 195) last week intercepted two passes in a game for the second time this season.

Which probably earned him a profound ho-hum around his household. Fulcher’s older brother, David, starred at Fremont and played several seasons in the NFL as a defensive back with the Cincinnati Bengals.

MARMONTE LEAGUE

The Sky’s the Limit

First, the pair moved up the Ventura County chart. Then they began scaling the state ladder, followed shortly thereafter by footsteps up the national mountain.

Galaxy beware.

Leodes Van Buren, the state’s all-time leader in receptions and yards receiving, caught seven passes for 86 yards in Newbury Park’s 40-14 victory over Agoura on Friday. Van Buren has 245 receptions and 4,005 yards in his career. He needs eight catches to move past Natividad Valdez of Mission High in Mission, Tex., and into second place on the national chart. Maurice Mebane of Cummings High in Burlington, N.C., owns the record with 292 catches.

Van Buren is second nationally for receiving yards behind Stan Rome of Valdosta High in Valdosta, Ga., who has 4,477 yards.

What’s more, Newbury Park quarterback Keith Smith, Ventura County’s all-time passing leader, completed 18 of 24 passes for 287 yards Friday and moved into the seventh position nationally with 8,534 yards. Smith needs 33 yards to overtake sixth-place Donald Davis of North Carolina’s Cummings.

FRONTIER LEAGUE

Coyotes Spared Tragedy

Minutes after Calabasas’ heartbreaking 21-14 loss to Moorpark on Friday, Coyote Coach Larry Edwards was looking at the game film of two pivotal four-quarter plays, and the videotape confirmed his worst fears: two apparent blown calls by officials.

The first was a touchdown call by the field judge that was overruled by a linesman. The film showed running back Matt Findlay’s upper body (ball included) falling across the goal line as he was tackled. The field judge who signaled touchdown appeared to be no more than five feet in front of Findlay. Calabasas fumbled on the next play at the goal line and Moorpark recovered with 4:55 left and the score tied, 14-14.

Three plays later, Musketeer quarterback Tyler Dritz was chased out of bounds in the end zone. The film showed Dritz’s feet did not cross the plane of the goal line before he went out, and the safety was not called. On Moorpark’s next possession and with 1:04 left, Dritz threw a 33-yard touchdown pass to win the game.

It was a nightmarish end to a difficult week that started Tuesday when the devastating Calabasas-Malibu fire broke out about three miles southwest of campus. More important, Edwards said no Calabasas student or coach lost a home in the fire.

FREE-LANCE

Wilbert Watch

Montclair Prep’s Wilbert Smith, who leads the state in rushing with 2,325 yards and scoring with 224 points, set a school record on his first of two touchdown runs last week against Verbum Dei. Smith, who has scored 37 touchdowns in nine games, broke the school’s single-season scoring record of 35 touchdowns set in 1989 by Derek Sparks.

Smith is just 60 yards shy of breaking the San Fernando Valley’s rushing record set last season by former Mountie Eliel Swinton with 2,384 yards.

Montclair Prep (9-0) has a bye this week.

MID-VALLEY LEAGUE

Not Just a Passing Fancy

North Hollywood’s run-and-shoot offense has raised some eyebrows among area Valley teams--not to mention the Huskies’ passing statistics. But, in some cases, more is not always better.

North Hollywood quarterbacks have thrown 20 touchdowns--more than any other City team in the area. They also have thrown 19 interceptions. Still, Coach Gary Gray is not going to give up the ship after only one season.

“I’m still in love with this offense,” Gray said. “The games are exciting and the kids really enjoy it. Some people may think I’m crazy, but I’m going to keep it.”

It is not to say, however, that Gray is not frustrated.

Consider: North Hollywood quarterback Alvaro Castillo threw for 399 yards and three touchdowns against Monroe two weeks ago. However, interceptions accounted for five of the Huskies’ six turnovers and North Hollywood lost to Monroe, 27-21, a defeat that will likely keep the pass-happy Huskies from playoff consideration.

Around the Leagues. . . .

* Taft (9-0) has won 13 of its last 14 games and 16 of 18 dating to midseason of 1992. Coach Troy Starr has a record of 18-5 and his teams have won or shared two league titles in as many seasons.

* Nordhoff’s Dallan Rigby has attempted three halfback passes and has completed two of them for touchdowns. He struck for the second time Friday against Santa Paula with a 48-yard pass to Archie Jackson. Rigby’s numbers this season: two of three for 116 yards, two touchdowns and one interception.

* Nordhoff’s Josh Hawkins has quietly become one of the best big-play running backs in the area. His 9.5 yard-per-carry average is second only to area rushing leader Smith of Montclair Prep (10.7). He continues to rank in the top 10 in yards with 1,220 in 128 carries.

* Nordhoff defensive back Mike Thorpe has two interceptions this year, both for touchdowns.

* Rushing woes continue for Santa Paula. Through nine games, the Cardinals have a total of 252 yards on the ground--an average of 28 per game. They were below their average Friday, with only 23 against Nordhoff.

* Moorpark’s defense is one of the stingiest in the area against the pass. The Musketeers have allowed only 547 yards through the air the entire season, an average of 60.7 per game. Moorpark has done so despite having only seven interceptions. Adam Rauch and Art Hoffman each have two.

Kennedy Cosgrove and staff writers Steve Elling, Jeff Fletcher, Dana Haddad, Paige A. Leech, John Ortega and Jason H. Reid contributed to this notebook.

The Times’ Football Top 10

Rankings of Valley-area high schools by sportswriters of The Times:

Rank Prev. Team League W-L 1 1 Newbury Park Marmonte 9-0 2 2 Taft North Valley 9-0 3 5 Quartz Hill Golden 9-0 4 4 Hart Foothill 8-1 5 3 Antelope Valley Golden 7-2 6 7 Westlake Marmonte 7-1-1 7 8 Buena Channel 7-2 8 6 Crescenta Valley Pacific 7-2 9 9 Canyon Foothill 6-2 10 10 Sylmar East Valley 7-1-1

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Team Last week This week Newbury Park Def. Agoura, 40-14 Fri. vs. Westlake Taft Def. Cleveland, 53-8 Fri. vs. San Fernando Quartz Hill Def. Antelope Valley, 13-9 Thurs. vs. Littlerock Hart Def. Burbank, 56-7 Fri. vs. Canyon Antelope Valley Lost to Quartz Hill, 13-9 Fri. vs. Ridge.Burroughs Westlake Def. Channel Islands, 29-6 Fri. at Newbury Park Buena Def. San Marcos, 35-21 Fri. vs. Ventura Crescenta Valley Lost to Muir, 19-17 Thurs. vs. Arcadia Canyon Bye Fri. vs. Hart Sylmar Def. Poly, 46-0 Fri. at North Hollywood

North Hollywood Goes to the Air

North Hollywood High got its offense off the ground by converting to the run-and-shoot this season, but the prolific passing hasn’t translated to a better record. Comparing the past six seasons:

Yr G TD Pass Yds W-L 1993 9 20 2,128 4-5 1992 10 13 711 5-6 1991 10 1 369 0-10 1990 9 6 618 5-4 1989 10 0 396 2-8 1988 10 1 529 4-6