HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL: WEEK 10 : Sylmar Gets Realigned in Shocking of Monroe

It was supposed to be a decent matchup.

Instead, it was a colossal mismatch.

Sylmar High showed a young Monroe team who is still king of the Valley Pac-8 Conference with a 54-12 victory Thursday night at Monroe.

“We needed this like a car needs four wheels,” said tailback Durell Price, who showed some wheels of his own with 177 yards and five touchdowns in 17 carries.

The Spartans (10-0, 7-0 in conference play) were coming off three subpar games--by Sylmar standards--including a 27-24 squeaker over North Hollywood two weeks ago.

“I can’t ask any more of my players,” said Sylmar Coach Jeff Engilman, who is expected to draw the No. 1 seeding in the City Section 4-A Division playoffs.

“It was a total team effort.”

The effort couldn’t have been better, but the score could have been worse.

The Spartans had three touchdowns--all of them by Gerrod Taylor--called back because of penalties.

Sylmar has won 24 consecutive games and has not lost a conference game since 1989, a streak of 46 victories.

Kenyatta Burris put Monroe up, 6-0, turning an eight-yard pass pattern into a 71-yard touchdown after juking a pair of Sylmar defenders.

It was the fifth touchdown Burris has scored from at least 60 yards.

But Monroe (7-3, 4-3) self-destructed in the first half, fumbling twice, throwing an interception and having a touchdown of its own called back.

Tailback Jason Anderson, who came into the game with a sprained left ankle, led the Vikings with 85 yards in 12 carries.

Taylor had 91 yards in nine carries for the Spartans, who begin their quest to repeat as 4-A champions in first-round play Friday.

Taylor scored on a 41-yard run and Price added runs of 20 and 14 yards for touchdowns as Sylmar scored 27 points in the second quarter.

“We’ve just got to keep it up for four more games,” Price said.