What a Surprise: Engilman Grumpy Despite 42-6 Victory

Judging by Sylmar High’s decisive football victories this season, the Spartans would appear to be doing little wrong and everything right.

After all, how can you complain after Sylmar, the defending City Section 4-A Division champion, whipped Canoga Park, 42-6, Friday night?

Coach Jeff Engilman, notoriously dissatisfied with his team’s efforts, found a way.

“We played terrible,” Engilman said Saturday morning, in no mood to celebrate his team’s Valley Pac-8 Conference opener.

“There was no intensity whatsoever,” he continued. “We had some good performances by certain people, but team-wise we did not play a very good football game. We made a lot of mistakes on both sides of the ball.”

But, coach, your team has yet to be challenged this season.

Precisely, Engilman pointed out.

“That might have something to do with our lack of intensity,” he said. “But [lopsided victories] are not what I look at. I’m looking down the road. If we don’t shape up and start playing better football, somebody is going to knock us off. It could be next week.”

Engilman was referring to Reseda, a 17-12 winner Friday over North Hollywood in its Valley Pac-8 opener. Sylmar (4-0) plays host to the Regents (3-1) Friday night.

“They’re one of the best teams in our league,” Engilman said of Reseda, which features a dominating lineman in 6-foot-5, 300-pound Ennis Davis. “If we play like we did [Friday], without any intensity, it will be a long game.”

Engilman’s frustration boiled over in the second quarter against Canoga Park when he benched running back Gerrod Taylor for “showboating” after Taylor scored on a 41-yard run. Taylor drew a penalty on the play.

“It hurts us when Gerrod doesn’t get to play very much,” Engilman said, pointing out that Taylor also starts at safety.

The only place it didn’t hurt the Spartans was on the scoreboard.

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Durell Price’s goal of surpassing 2,000 yards rushing this season appears to be fading with each game.

The Sylmar running back had another ho-hum performance in Friday’s victory, rushing for 80 yards and two touchdowns in 12 carries. In four games, he has 435 yards and nine touchdowns in 53 carries, an 8.2 per-rush average.

Not bad, but it’s a long way from 2,000. Price, a touted 6-foot-1, 215-pound senior, rushed for 1,936 yards and scored 30 touchdowns last season.

Price’s rushing numbers have suffered this season because of two factors, Engilman said. Price is needed full-time at linebacker, and the offense has needed to spend more time developing its passing game.

“Individual stats don’t concern me at all,” Engilman said. “It’s fine and dandy if [Price] gets 2,000 yards, but if we don’t win the [City Section] championship, it doesn’t do us any good.

“I told him before the season that because we needed him on defense, I would have to rest him on offense. Last year, he only played defense in certain circumstances. Now he’s playing [defense] all the time. It’s going to take its toll.”

Make no mistake, though, Price remains an explosive running threat.

Said Engilman: “We could have given him the ball every time on the power dive and he could have gained 200 yards.”

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There’s bad news for Hart opponents: Ted Iacenda’s foot injury is healing faster than anticipated.

That was evident when Iacenda, suffering from a torn tendon on the bottom of his left foot, still had enough moves to combine for 199 yards rushing and receiving Friday night in a 58-7 nonleague victory over Palmdale. He also scored three touchdowns.

Iacenda, who played only in the first half, said he has been steadily improving since he was hurt in the second quarter Sept. 15 against Thousand Oaks. He credits his therapist, Dr. Rodney Cummings, for his rapid recovery.

“He’s been incredible,” Iacenda said. “I know I would not have been able to play in the last two weeks if not for him.”

Because of the injury, Iacenda has not practiced in two weeks. He was unsure whether he could return to regular drills this week. Either way, it doesn’t seem to matter come game time.

Iacenda’s three touchdowns against Palmdale, including a 62-yard run, give him 70 in his career. He downplayed his pursuit of the state career touchdown record of 107 set by Bakersfield’s Steve Wafford and the Southern Section record of 94 set by Crespi’s Russell White.

“It’s all about winning right now,” said Iacenda, whose team is 4-1. “I could have no touchdowns the rest of the year. If we’re winning, I’ll be happy.”

Hart will try for its fifth consecutive victory when it plays host Friday night to Loyola.

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Notre Dame quarterback Ryan Bowne says surfing as one of his hobbies. That makes sense, because Friday night the senior helped his team ride a wave of emotion in a 27-14 nonleague victory over rival Crespi.

“It’s a high, emotional game,” said Bowne, who passed for two touchdowns and ran for another. “Everybody gets pumped up on both sides. It’s a heated rivalry.”

Bowne gave the Knights (4-0) a lift in the second quarter when he scored on a dazzling 49-yard option keeper, the longest scoring run of his three-year varsity career.

Later in the quarter, Notre Dame got another emotional boost when receiver Nick Kounalis, playing in his first game since suffering a broken arm Sept. 8 against Alemany, caught a 19-yard touchdown pass from Bowne to put the Knights ahead, 20-7, at halftime.

“Nick got his cast off Wednesday and came out and played with a lot of heart,” Bowne said. “He definitely gave us a lift.”

The way Notre Dame, the defending Southern Section Division III champion, and Chaminade (4-0) are playing, the Mission League title might be decided in the final week, like last season, when Notre Dame beat the Eagles, 41-8. Notre Dame plays at Chaminade on Nov. 10 in what might be one of the season’s biggest games.

“Hopefully, we’ll be in the same position,” Bowne said. “But it’s so early. The whole league is going to be tough.”

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Statwatch: La Canada’s Sam Paneno extended his area rushing lead Friday by running for 212 yards and two touchdowns in 22 carries in a 20-6 nonleague victory over Alhambra. Paneno has 847 yards in 76 carries, an 11.1 average, and eight touchdowns. . . .

Chaminade’s Justin Giovannettone has an area-leading 12 touchdowns after scoring on runs of nine and three yards in a 35-14 nonleague victory over Little- rock. . . . Newbury Park’s Chris Czernek, the area’s leading passer, threw for 243 yards and two touchdowns in a 19-15 Marmonte League victory over Simi Valley to give him season totals of 1,352 yards and 14 touchdowns. Czernek completed 23 of 49 attempts, which lowered his season percentage to 56% (87 of 155).

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On The Run

The following is a list of the yearly high school rushing leaders from the San Fernando Valley and Ventura County areas. Playoff statistics are included.

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YEAR PLAYER SCHOOL YARDAGE 1986 Russell White Crespi 2,354 1987 Russell White Crespi 2,269 1988 Curtis Scott Monroe 1,943 1989 Derek Sparks Montclair Prep 1,944 1990 Jonathan Campbell Poly 2,091 1991 Elijah Raphael Kennedy 2,070 1992 Eliel Swinton Montclair Prep 2,384 1993 Wilbert Smith Montclair Prep 2,512 1994 Josh Hawkins Nordhoff 2,454

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