HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL PREVIEW : Wilkins, Hawkins Battle for Title

The night was oh so sweet for Bryan Wilkins and oh so bitter for Josh Hawkins. Two junior running backs destined for the Division I college ranks, battling for a Frontier League championship.

It was Oct. 29, 1993.

Wilkins ran wild, gaining 188 of his 223 yards in the second half to pace Moorpark High’s come-from-behind victory against two-time defending champion Nordhoff. Hawkins, who gained 162 of his 190 yards in the first half, watched helplessly as Wilkins stole his glory, running for three touchdowns in the second half to fuel Moorpark’s 27-21 victory.

“My offensive line was giving me holes and I was just bouncing outside,” Hawkins said. “Ten more carries in the second half would have taken care of it. We would have won. We should have won.”

But, Hawkins, who broke loose for two touchdowns--including an 84-yard score--in the first half to give Nordhoff a 14-0 lead, only carried four times in the second half because Nordhoff coaches opted to switch to a passing attack.

He won’t rest until the rematch. It will come Nov. 4, when Moorpark visits Nordhoff. The circumstances figure to be identical.

It will be Nordhoff, league champions in 1991 and ‘92, aiming for revenge against the Musketeers, who won their first league title in 50 seasons and set a school record with nine victories in a season.

Hawkins vs. Wilkins II should be quite a side show. The two could be battling for the area rushing title that night. Built almost identically, Hawkins (6 feet 1, 185 pounds) and Wilkins (6-0, 185) rank second and fourth among area returning backs. Hawkins finished with 1,652 yards, averaging 9.0 yards a carry. Wilkins gained 1,402 and averaged 6.2 per carry, playing in one game less than Hawkins.

Hawkins said he’ll looking for revenge. He claims that Wilkins taunted the Rangers after he dove into the end zone on a four-yard sweep for the winning touchdown with three minutes 11 seconds left in the game.

“He started pumping his arms at us,” said Hawkins, who was playing safety when Wilkins scored. “That (ticked) me off. He’s a punk. When he comes to my side this year, I’m going to pop him.”

Wilkins, who took off his helmet after the touchdown, ran to the Moorpark sideline and made a hook slide in front of a jubilant home crowd, claims he didn’t gesture to his opponents.

“I didn’t say anything the whole game,” Wilkins said. “I know he doesn’t like me and he wants to get me back. He keeps telling people, ‘Where’s Wilkins? I’m better than him.’ I don’t care what he says. It doesn’t bother me.

“I have nothing personal against him. It’s just competition against his team. He can take it personally if he wants to.”

Hawkins remains frustrated about the defeat mainly because he was lost in the mix after he scored two touchdowns to give Nordhoff a 14-0 halftime lead. He finished the night with 15 carries, averaging 12.6 yard run, while Wilkins carried 31 times.

“The coaches thought I had enough for the night, but I had plenty left,” Hawkins said. “All the plays were passing. I didn’t know what was going on, but I didn’t want to say anything.”

Moorpark gave the ball to Wilkins 22 times in the second half, despite the fact the Ranger defense had held him to 35 yards in nine carries in the first half. Moorpark was hoping to wear down the Nordhoff defense by sending Wilkins repeatedly on sweeps to the short side of the field.

“They had good linebackers,” Wilkins said. “But our coaches felt if we kept hitting them, they’d get tired. We threw fresh fullbacks in there on them. The coaches figured the more I touched the ball, the more chances I would have to make something happen.”

The strategy worked. Hawkins said Ranger defensive linemen were “getting run over.” Hawkins watched while Wilkins and Moorpark galloped to the title.

Frontier League coaches this year are giving Nordhoff the nod because the Rangers have 11 returning starters. Moorpark has five.

“We better win it,” Hawkins said.

Meanwhile, Wilkins is not worried.

“By the time that game comes around, we will have played a lot of games,” he said. “It won’t be a blowout. It’ll be a battle like last year.”

Saturday: Golden and Del Rey leagues.

Frontier League at a Glance

1993 STANDINGS OVERALL LEAGUE PROJECTED FINISH Moorpark 9-2-1 4-0 Nordhoff Nordhoff 8-4 3-1 Moorpark Calabasas 7-4 2-2 Calabasas Santa Clara 2-8 1-3 Santa Clara Santa Paula 1-9 0-4 Santa Paula

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PLAYERS TO WATCH

Player School Pos. Ht. Wt. Yr. Matt Carpenter Calabasas OL 6-1 190 Sr. David Colker Nordhoff C 6-2 235 Sr. Tyler Dritz Moorpark QB 6-1 175 Sr. Josh Hawkins Nordhoff RB 6-1 185 Sr. Jeremy Johnson Santa Paula WR 5-9 160 Sr. Jeremy Kline Calabasas RB 5-9 225 Sr. Andy Maciel Santa Clara RB 5-10 175 Sr. Bryan Paul Moorpark DB 6-3 180 Jr. Dallan Rigby Nordhoff RB 5-10 175 Sr. Bryan Wilkins Moorpark RB 6-0 185 Sr.