SIDELINES : With Turnover on Return, Crespi Can’t Hold Onto Its Cushion

Lost: one goal-post pad. Four-feet tall, vinyl-covered, brown-and-gold, “Crespi” emblazoned in vertical lettering. Last seen traveling eastbound on the Ventura Freeway on the evening of Friday, Sept. 9.

If found, please return to Andy Gavel, athletic director at Crespi High. Reward: two tickets to a Crespi home game.

It’s no joke. The Crespi athletic department is missing one of the protective cushions that fit around the bottom of a goal post. Gavel would like to have the pad in place in time for Friday night’s nonleague showdown with Notre Dame at Pierce College.

“It must have bounced out of the back of our equipment truck on the way home from the Taft game,” Gavel said. “Our equipment manager didn’t notice it was missing until we got back.”

Never mind the pad. Did anyone count the helmets?

Best-laid plans: After Jill Gallegos scored four goals in the first half of Cal Lutheran’s soccer match Saturday against Whittier, she was removed from the lineup by coaches sensing an easy victory. No use risking injury, they said.

But later Gallegos and a few teammates persuaded Coach Dan Kuntz to put her back in the game so she might take aim at the school record of five goals. About 10 minutes after Gallegos returned, she scored. About 10 minutes after that, she hurt her ankle.

“They put this girl on me and she just kept kicking my ankles,” Gallegos said. “I guess that’s exactly what they were trying to prevent.”

Cal Lutheran defeated Whittier, 8-0. The next day Gallegos, playing injured, was held scoreless as the Regals downed Cal Poly Pomona, 2-0. By Tuesday, she was feeling better--and a little wiser for the experience.

Doubt full: With the name Robert Burt, perhaps redundancy is a birthright.

Burt, the Cal State Northridge football coach, waxed repetitive in this week’s press release regarding Saturday’s home game against Cal State Chico: “We have to come back and be ready to play and start winning football games that are in doubt. We need to start winning football games that are in doubt, and not just lose the ones that are in doubt and win the ones that we dominate.”

Go back and read that again. Slooowly.

Soft-drink challenge: Littlerock High football Coach Jim Bauer has concocted a way to spice up the end of Wednesday practices.

First, Bauer breaks his team into offensive and defensive groups, then he gives the offense four plays to try to score from the eight-yard line.

If the offense reaches the end zone, those players get a soda. If the defense holds, those players get the drink.

No big deal you say? Go watch.

“You would think these kids are playing for the Super Bowl,” Bauer said. “They’re going all out for a can of soda that costs maybe thirty cents.”

Quotebook

In 1986, Bill Redell guided Crespi High and star tailback Russell White to a Southern Section Big Five Conference championship. But last season Redell was 3-7 in his debut as St. Francis coach.

“I used to be famous,” Redell said. “Now, I’m a bum.”

Not any more. The Golden Knights are 2-0-1 this season.

Double jeopardy: The answer, from Phil McCune, Ventura High football coach: “Yes.”

The question: After losing to Westlake and Royal in consecutive weeks, are you concerned or just chalking the losses up to good competition?

McCune doesn’t waste words.

Stats

Hoover’s 16-0 victory over Grant Friday was the Tornadoes’ first in 19 games, dating to Oct. 2, 1992. During its skid Hoover was outscored, 621-225, and suffered lopsided losses to Arcadia (31-0), Crescenta Valley (46-0), Muir (24-0), Burbank (28-0), La Canada (41-12) and Glendale (49-7).

“It’s history now,” Coach Dennis Hughes said of the streak. Fast fact: Hoover has not won consecutive games since the start of the 1990 season.

Double trouble: Two compelling reasons why Sylmar High is the top-ranked football team in the area: Among area City Section schools, the Spartans have the most productive offense (346.7 yards a game) and the stingiest defense (132.7), each more than 20 yards better than that of the next closest team.

Half right: Both passes Oxnard High quarterback Taj Lewis attempted last Friday went for touchdowns. One went to his intended receiver, David Cameron. The other was picked off by Chris Heffernan of Channel Islands, who returned it 37 yards for a score.

Frequent flier: Cal State Northridge ranks seventh among NCAA Division I-AA passing offenses, averaging 311 yards a game. Quarterback J.J. O’Laughlin is 10th in the nation in total offense (301 yards) and 23rd in passing efficiency (140.1). Junior tight end Travis Hall is tied for 15th with an average of six receptions a game.

Give and take: The Cal Lutheran football team leads the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference with seven take-aways and eight turnovers.

Honors

A 224-yard effort against the University of San Diego on Saturday night earned Cal Lutheran running back Terrence Thomas SCIAC offensive player of the week honors. Thomas leads the conference with 349 yards in two games.

Twice as nice: Northridge quarterback J.J. O’Laughlin, who passed for a career-high 358 yards in last week’s 28-23 loss to Southwest Texas State, was selected American West Conference offensive player of the week. Northridge’s DeWayne Johnson, a freshman from Reseda High, blocked a punt and was named the special-teams player of the week.

Compiled by Mike Hiserman. Contributing: Dave Desmond, Steve Elling, Jeff Fletcher, Vince Kowalick, Michael Lazarus and Bryan Rodgers.