For Parker, Beating Antelope Valley Was Monumental

The Highland football team’s surprising 7-0 victory last week over two-time defending Golden League champion Antelope Valley was the biggest in school history, Coach Lin Parker said.

But it’s larger than that for Parker.

“It was the biggest win in school history and the biggest I was involved with,” said Parker, who has coached for 31 years at four high schools and at Caltech.

To add contrast, Parker claims that his 57-0 loss to the Antelopes last year was his worst defeat ever. Parker was a standout lineman at Antelope Valley and coached there with current head man Brent Newcomb when both were assistants. Prior to last week, Parker’s teams were 0-4 and had been outscored, 158-12, by his alma mater.

Pass the hankie: Parker’s emotions for the Antelopes run deep. During his nine-year stint as head man at Caltech, he missed only one Antelope Valley game. But he wasn’t the only Highland coach to feel a twinge of emotion after beating his alma mater. Parker said assistant Danny Morrow, who became a small-college All-American as a nose guard at Cal Lutheran, sobbed after the game.

Said Parker: “They were big ol’ crocodile tears.”

Going one way: Bryant Phipps, Royal’s promising junior running back, has been hobbled by a sprained ankle for most of the season and will play only defense the next two weeks.

After rushing for 182 yards in Royal’s first two games, Phipps was injured against Ventura and missed a month. He returned against Channel Islands, had one carry for 70 yards and re-injured the ankle.

“He can play cornerback because nobody is going to fall on his ankle,” Coach Gene Uebelhardt said.

Ray Molina, a converted defensive tackle who began the season at fullback, has played well at tailback, rushing for 521 yards, but it hasn’t helped the Highlanders, who are 1-7.

Got insurance?: A 10-6 victory over Calabasas most likely earned Nordhoff the Frontier League football title.

But the game was costly for both teams.

On Calabasas’ fourth play from scrimmage, Coyote right tackle Jon Ellinghouse suffered torn knee ligaments and was lost for the season.

In the second quarter, Russell Farrar, Nordhoff’s standout fullback-linebacker, re-injured an ankle he severely sprained Oct. 11 against Bishop Diego. Farrar, who has missed the equivalent of two games with the injury, did not return and is questionable for Friday’s game against Santa Clara.

With less than four minutes to play, Nordhoff quarterback Matt Cresto (5-7, 152), suffered a broken collarbone when he was sacked by Coyote defensive end Shariff Hasan (6-2, 250).

Cresto is out for the season. His replacement will be safety Jim Musick, who started at quarterback last year.

Backfield without motion: San Fernando Coach Sean Blunt should have been happy after the Tigers defeated Granada Hills, 27-10, to stay alive in the playoff chase.

But he couldn’t enjoy the victory for long. Not when he barely has enough bodies to fill up a backfield.

The Tigers usually rotate several fullbacks and tailbacks during games. But heading into a game against Chatsworth on Friday, only two backs, fullback Angel Garcia and backup tailback Major Caldwell, are near 100%.

Among the wounded: Junior Sean Atkins broke a kneecap against the Highlanders and will miss eight-to-10 weeks, and senior Mike Gomez, the Tigers’ leading rusher, injured an ankle.