MIDWEEK REPORT : HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL UPDATE : Defense Deserves a Hand

With quarterback Chris Czernek leading the state with 1,701 passing yards and 18 touchdown tosses, it’s clear Newbury Park High receivers have sticky fingers.

But the Good Hands Panthers play defense as well, snagging an area-high 12 interceptions. Eight different Newbury Park players have picked off passes. Eddie Patterson, Justin Vint, Garrett Hobba and Ryan Sullivan have two each and Pat Reddick, Chris Adams, Brant Diediker and Brian Nelson have one each.

All of the players are defensive backs or linebackers except Nelson, a lineman. His interception came against Buena on a screen pass and he lumbered 44 yards on the return.

The prolific pilfering stands to reason, Coach George Hurley said, pointing out that a pass-happy team should defend well against the same.

“We’re used to playing catch,” he said. “That’s all we do in practice.”

His Lights Were On, but . . .

Don’t bother asking Fillmore tailback James Cummings for details of his performance against Maranatha last Friday.

After suffering the second concussion of his high school career, Cummings barely remembers rushing for 142 yards and a touchdown in five carries.

“The next morning I woke up and couldn’t remember much from the game,” said Cummings, a 5-foot-10, 165-pound senior. “I remember we were on offense and I knew where to line up, but I couldn’t figure out where to go.

“I told [fullback] Jake Ellis I couldn’t remember the play. He was telling me what to do but then he saw that I wasn’t all there so he told me to get out.”

From the sideline, Fillmore Coach John Wilber knew nothing of Cummings’ condition. “He had one of his best runs after he got dinged and didn’t know where he was,” Wilber said.

Cummings recalls flunking the traditional “What’s the date?” question from the doctor who examined him on the bench. “I got it right the second time,” Cummings said. “I told the guy sitting next to me, ‘If he comes back here, you tell me the date!’ ”

Cummings is considered questionable for Friday’s Tri-Valley League opener against St. Bonaventure.

A Team on the Run

Kenneth Pritchett is off and running. And so is Crescenta Valley.

The Falcons, 4-1 entering Friday’s Pacific League opener against Glendale, have rushed for all but 76 of their 1,534 yards. Crescenta Valley has attempted only 16 passes.

Boring? “Not for me,” Pritchett said. “I love to carry the ball.”

Pritchett, a 5-foot-8 1/2, 155-pound sophomore, has rushed for 807 yards and nine touchdowns and has been so electrifying that observers have compared his speed-and-finesse running style to that of former Glendale running back Pathon Rucker, who rushed for 1,667 yards as a senior in 1991.

“We knew he was going to be good,” Crescenta Valley Coach Alan Eberhart said.

Pritchett rushed for 252 yards and three touchdowns last week against Burroughs. He became the Falcons’ go-to guy two weeks ago when an ankle injury sidelined senior Dion Higuera. Pritchett, most valuable player of last year’s sophomore team as a freshman, was eager to test his moves at the varsity level.

“I just knew I could do it,” Pritchett said. “Everyone’s bigger and quicker. But I have a good offensive line.”

Poly Wanna Player?

The Poly offense isn’t exactly lighting the world on fire.

Averaging 194.8 yards a game--fourth-lowest among area City Section teams--the winless Parrots barely create a spark.

But oh for what might have been.

Former Poly players Gerrod Taylor and Keijuan Douglas are solid performers on other teams.

Taylor, who transferred to Sylmar before the 1994 season, ranks among area City rushing leaders with 429 yards and four touchdowns in 34 carries.

The versatile Douglas, who also left Poly before the 1994 season, has played quarterback, running back and wide receiver for San Fernando.

Poly Coach Tim Feeley can only wish he had such firepower. “We’d be unstoppable with all that speed,” he said.

The Parrots aren’t completely stripped. Senior Leaford Hackett leads area City players with 31 receptions for 419 yards.

Option Offense

Douglas and Brandon Campbell, San Fernando teammates and best friends, are engaging in the friendliest of quarterback duels.

Douglas, who shared quarterback duties with Larry Logan last year, kept his starting job after a challenge from Campbell over the summer. Campbell became the starting tailback.

But after a dreadful performance against Kennedy two weeks ago, Douglas gladly switched places with Campbell, who engineered a 12-6 victory over Cleveland.

“At this point, I’d rather be a running back or flanker anyway,” Douglas said. “This is helping the team win, so we have to stick with it.”

Against Cleveland, Campbell had some extra inspiration. His stepbrother, former San Fernando quarterback Leon Blunt, was watching. Blunt is sitting out a year at Arizona after transferring from Notre Dame.

And He’s Modest, Too

Maybe opponents are overlooking Glenn Adriatico. Or perhaps they just can’t find the 5-8, 140-pound Burroughs receiver after the ball is snapped.

All Adriatico knows is that defenders, like quarterback J.K. Scott’s passes, are playing right into his hands.

“I haven’t seen any double coverage lately,” said Adriatico, a sophomore who leads the area with 39 receptions for 600 yards.

Go figure. Adriatico has eight more receptions and 117 more yards than any receiver in the region, and he still draws soft coverage.

“They play me man-to-man most of the time,” Adriatico said. “Usually, the defensive backs are playing back and the hitch [pattern] is there.”

Adriatico, who has four touchdown catches, had 11 receptions for 162 yards in his first two games. But his coming-out party came against La Canada in the third week of the season when he had 12 catches for 214 yards and two touchdowns.

“I don’t think I’m an excellent receiver,” Adriatico said. “Maybe just an average receiver. I’m not that fast. I run my routes pretty precise, and I can find an open area.”

To Air Is Divine

In the past, opponents could count on Village Christian rushing the ball 30 to 40 times a game. Not anymore.

The Crusaders this year are waging an all-out assault on school passing records.

In Village Christian’s first game, the quarterback platoon of Matt Pike and Chris Coleman combined to pass for 312 yards--33 yards better than the previous school record, set by Chris Johnson in 1986.

Three weeks later, Pike attempted 39 passes--nine more than the previous standard, also set by Johnson in ’86.

In five games, the Crusaders have passed 127 times--only 38 attempts short of the school single-season record.

Village Christian has rushed 30 times or more in a game only once.

Around the Leagues

CITY SECTION

EAST VALLEY

Sylmar posted six shutouts last season, but is still looking for its first this year. The Spartans were three minutes away from blanking Reseda, but fumbled deep in their own territory to set up a Regent touchdown. “We’ve been very, very close,” Coach Jeff Engilman said. “The defense has been playing solid football and the kids are getting pretty hungry.” . . . Reseda lost the game, 27-6, and two players. Quarterback Jamaal Washington (thigh) and fullback Buddy Frederich (shoulder) were injured in the second quarter. Both are expected to play against Poly on Friday. . . . John McPherson of Van Nuys has averaged nearly 200 yards rushing the past two games.

MID-VALLEY

Dante Clay was busy for North Hollywood in a 30-8 victory over Grant. He rushed for 249 yards and a touchdown and also made an interception in his first start at safety. . . . Traditionally a running team, Grant passed 40 times against North Hollywood. However, the Lancers completed only 16 for 146 yards. . . . Monroe is undefeated, but Coach Fred Cuccia is unhappy. “We can’t play hard seven out of 10 plays,” he said. “It has to be 10 out of 10. That’s what makes a Sylmar and a Kennedy--they play hard all the time.”

NORTH VALLEY

El Camino Real quarterback Shaun Fishman missed last Friday’s game against Taft after suffering a separated shoulder in his non-throwing arm in practice the previous day. Fishman’s status this week is uncertain. . . . The knee injury to Kennedy tailback Antwane Smith is not as serious as the one he endured last year that required postseason surgery. He is expected to play against Cleveland on Friday. . . . Taft sophomore Donald Carpenter has rushed for more than 200 yards in consecutive games. But don’t start comparing him to Jerry Brown, the Toreadors’ speedy tailback the previous three seasons. Carpenter runs over defenders, wearing them down in the second half. Carpenter has gained 348 yards in the second halves of the past two games. . . . Sophomore quarterback Ricky Mathiesen is taking a pounding, but Granada Hills Coach Brad Ratcliff sees progress: “I’m really kind of proud of him, considering we started from scratch,” he said.

WEST VALLEY

The Cleveland receiving tandem of Junior Brignac and Alex Kalinowski represents the stiffest challenge yet for the stingy Kennedy secondary. Brignac and Kalinowski have combined for 10 touchdowns. The teams play Friday. . . . Chatsworth is finally getting healthy. The only starter still injured is lineman Daniel Buck, sidelined because of a dislocated finger. . . . Birmingham Coach Dave Lertzman knew his team would be young. Just not this young. Because of injuries, the Braves started seven sophomores on offense last week against Kennedy.

NORTHWESTERN

Verdugo Hills, which has struggled in recent years, came within seven points of defeating conference favorite Franklin. And the Dons did it without starting quarterback Ethan Slimak, suspended for one game after a previous ejection. “Another five minutes and we would have at least gotten a tie,” Coach Don Scott said.

SOUTHERN SECTION

DEL REY

The Crespi defense still is without linebackers Mark Stipkovich and Pat Malone. Both players have been hobbled by strained knees and are expected to be sidelined for at least another two weeks.

FOOTHILL

The hottest team in the league is Canyon, which was struggling at 1-2 before consecutive victories over Alemany and Ridgecrest Burroughs in which the Cowboys scored 93 points and allowed only six. . . . Hart, which opens league play Friday against Canyon, is vying for its fifth consecutive league championship. . . . Coach Robert dos Remedios said J.K. Scott is the first Burroughs quarterback to pass for 1,000 yards since 1987. Scott, a junior, ranks third in the area with 1,031 yards in five games. . . . Winless Burbank averages 8.2 points. The Bulldogs have been shut out in 14 of 20 quarters.

GOLDEN

Opponents are doing an adequate job of containing Antelope Valley running back Jermaine Lewis, the 1994 league most valuable player. He is averaging 4.2 yards per carry. But other Antelope ballcarriers are breaking loose. Dominick Cribbs averages 18.8 per carry, Ken Nelson 12.8, Tony Walker 11.6, Trymon Redick 11.2 and Justin Reinier 8.0. . . . Grant Livermont of Palmdale has completed only 18 of 49 passes, but for an average of 18.4 yards per completion. . . . David Kelly of Highland has completed 60% of his passes and averages 4.5 yards per carry. . . . In its 37-12 victory over Valencia, Littlerock had three players rush for more than 100 yards, a first in school history. Lafayette Bailey had 133 yards in three carries, Devon Reese gained 155 in 14 and Mike Carger had 108 in 10. . . . Quartz Hill tight end Andy Rethi (6-2, 232 pounds) leads the Rebels in receiving with 13 catches for 201 yards. He ranks second in the league in receptions, third in yards and is tied for the lead with three touchdowns.

PACIFIC

Crescenta Valley quarterback Cody Blackburn is expected to return for Friday’s league opener against Glendale. Blackburn has been sidelined the past two weeks because of a hyperextended knee. . . . At 3-1-1, Hoover is off to its best start since 1985, the last year the Tornadoes had a winning record. Hoover was 8-2 that season but wound up forfeiting all its victories for using an illegal player. Hoover, which last made the playoffs in 1987, lost 18 consecutive games from 1992 to ’94. “For the most part, there’s no real change,” Hoover Coach Dennis Hughes said. “It’s just a little easier to get up on Saturday mornings.” Hoover plays host to defending league champion Muir tonight at Glendale High. . . . Andrew Johnson, a two-way starter for Glendale at tight end and linebacker, will return as a defensive starter against Crescenta Valley. Johnson has been hampered by a shoulder injury. Senior Jason Klintworth, a three-year starter at running back and linebacker, leads Glendale in rushing and tackles.

CHANNEL

Hueneme snapped a 30-game league losing streak with a 30-7 victory over Oxnard. Ronney Jenkins has rushed for a league-leading 644 yards and nine touchdowns. . . . Rio Mesa receiver Randy Hurt has 14 of his team’s 23 receptions, 322 of 464 receiving yards and the only two touchdown catches. Hurt, a senior, was a freshman and junior varsity backup until blossoming last season. . . . T.J. Stafford is a similar story at Buena, where he has 25 catches for 323 yards. No other Bulldog has more than seven catches. Stafford, a junior receiver, is playing his first year of high school football. Despite suffering burns when scalding water spilled on his legs, Buena linebacker Damon Deck made nine tackles against Ventura. . . . Adding to the defensive woes for Ventura, senior lineman Chris Wear is out for the season because of a leg injury. Wear had 20 tackles. The Cougars have surrendered 87 points in two league losses.

MARMONTE

The uniform numbers of quarterback Keith Smith and receiver Leodes Van Buren will be retired at halftime of the Newbury Park-Royal game Friday. Smith and Van Buren set numerous records in leading Newbury Park to a Southern Section championship in 1994. Panther quarterback Chris Czernek passed for 286 yards and four touchdowns in the first half against Agoura, and the Panthers scored 35 points in the half while having possession less than nine minutes. . . . With 725 passing yards, junior Scott McEwan of Thousand Oaks already has passed for more yards than the 720 he passed for as a sophomore. . . . Both Simi Valley and Agoura have junked the run-and-shoot offense. “I never really got comfortable with it,” said Agoura Coach Charlie Wegher, who will employ a pitch offense out of the I formation. . . . Westlake quarterback Steve Aylsworth’s brother, Robert, is the senior quarterback at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pa.

MISSION

Receiver Troy Garner of Notre Dame is expected to return for Friday’s league opener against visiting Serra. Garner, a senior who leads Notre Dame with 17 catches and is among the area’s top college prospects, was sidelined because of a pulled hamstring. Notre Dame has won 14 games in a row since losing, 14-10, last season to Harvard-Westlake. The Knights, defending Southern Section Division III champions, are 27-4 over the past 2 1/2 years. . . . Undefeated St. Francis has shut out three opponents, and the Golden Knights’ first-team defense has not allowed a point. Most impressive among the Golden Knights are linebackers Jonathan Jones, who had three interceptions in a game this season, and Darin Maxwell, who led the team in rushing last season with 945 yards. This season, Maxwell has moved to fullback and junior Robert (Trae) Milton has carried 63 times for 595 yards.

RIO HONDO

La Canada junior tackle Brandon Behlendorf, who had arthroscopic knee surgery in August, suited up for the first time last week but did not play. He is expected to play Friday night in the Spartans’ league opener at South Pasadena. Sam Paneno, the area’s leading rusher with 993 yards, is attracting interest from several Division I colleges, including San Diego State, Utah and Arizona.

CAMINO REAL

Harvard-Westlake has a new quarterback. Nick Chang, a converted defensive end, assumed the starting role last week against Notre Dame, replacing Merlin DeMartinis, who has moved to fullback. Chang completed one of three for 13 yards. Chang played quarterback for the junior varsity two years ago.

FRONTIER

Santa Paula free safety Rocky Frutos is expected to play Friday against Calabasas after sitting out last week because of a pulled groin muscle. . . . Scott Quigley of Calabasas completed nine of 10 for 227 yards and three touchdowns against St. Monica. Coach Larry Edwards attributed that success to experience. “It’s his third year playing quarterback in the same offense,” Edwards said. . . . Bryan Paul of Moorpark seemed like he was everywhere in a victory over Oak Park. He completed 10 of 15 for 94 yards and a touchdown. He also intercepted two passes. Because of injuries, Paul also returned punts, and took one back 75 yards for a touchdown. Oak Park failed to complete a pass despite the absence of injured starting linebackers Jeff Martin and Dan LaFleur of Moorpark. Injured tailback Michael Aguilar, lineman Evan Garcia and Martin are expected to play for the Musketeers on Friday against Santa Clara. LaFleur’s status is questionable. . . . Nordhoff fumbled twice and rushed for only five yards in a loss to Bishop Diego. “Our kids physically couldn’t block them,” Coach Cliff Farrar said. . . . For the second consecutive week, a two-yard rushing touchdown by Andre Pinedo was the only score for Santa Clara. The Saints have lost three in a row.

TRI-VALLEY

Oak Park had two passes intercepted and lost a pair of fumbles in a loss to Moorpark. “We’re undersized against everyone we play so we try to take advantage of our quickness,” Coach Dick Billingsley said. “But if you don’t block, speed doesn’t matter.” Josh Nicassio has taken over as the Eagles’ starting quarterback. Dan Wasserman, who earlier was platooning with Nicassio, is playing linebacker and tight end. . . . Topi Sanchez scored on four of his final six carries for St. Bonaventure in a victory over L.A. Baptist.

ALPHA

Because of injuries, Village Christian didn’t punt or try a conversion kick in its 14-10 victory over Whittier Christian. The Crusaders went for first downs three times on fourth down and tried two-point conversions after each of their touchdowns. Kickers Andy Rotunno and Kim Wolfe both have injured ankles. Tony Yousif, the punter and backup kicker, is healthy, but the team’s only long snapper, Leon Reyeo, suffered a sprained shoulder on the second play of the game. . . . L.A. Baptist Coach Mark Bates ended any talk of a quarterback controversy by making sophomore Peter Dirksen the starter. Robin Woo, a senior, was competing with Dirksen, but Bates said Dirksen is getting better every week, as is the team. . . . Inconsistency has plagued Kilpatrick, which has alternated victories and losses over the past four weeks. Coach Alex Williams says “a lack of team spirit” has rendered his team “unable to come together as a unit.”

HIGH DESERT

In a league-opening game Friday, Paraclete will take a 3 1/2-hour bus ride to Bishop to play a team it hasn’t beaten since 1985. Both teams are 3-2, but Paraclete Coach Steve Hagerty gives the edge to his team. And he thinks he has devised a plan for keeping his players focused during the long bus ride. “Sometimes we get them buses that have VCRs on them,” Hagerty said. “If we get one, we’ll put in a tape of Bishop and look at that wing-T [offense].”

SANTA FE

Bell-Jeff Coach Doug Woodlief, who has just 23 players, is beginning to scrape the bottom of the barrel. Three players already are out because of injuries and receiver Jesse Montes has left the team to run cross-country. Now two starters--defensive back Will Ruiz and lineman Ryan Ortiz--have missed two days of school this week because of illnesses. . . . St. Genevieve ran into a stone wall against Murphy. After averaging 336 yards in their previous two games--both victories--the Valiants gained only 158 in a 34-0 loss.

FREE-LANCE

Valencia is still looking for a victory, having allowed 449 yards rushing in a loss to Littlerock last week. But on the bright side, Caleb Willis recorded the team’s first interception, and Donavan Calhoun rushed 20 times for 109 yards and a touchdown.

Contributing: Mike Bresnahan, Dana Haddad, Steve Henson, Vince Kowalick, Michael Lazarus, Tris Wykes, Peter Yoon.