Camarillo Learned Howe to Run

Camarillo High has become a much better team since developing a consistent rushing attack. The Scorpions did not rush for 100 yards in a game until the sixth week of the season when 90 yards on five scrambles by quarterback Joe Borchard helped them finish with 175 against Simi Valley.

The Scorpions combined for only 179 yards rushing the next two weeks before exploding for 141 against Thousand Oaks.

The rush hasn’t stopped since.

Nearly 700 of tailback John Howe’s 953 yards have come in the past five games, and Camarillo rushed for a season-high 272 yards in the semifinal victory over Westlake. The Scorpions play host to Notre Dame in the Southern Section Division III final on Friday.

“Borchard carried us early with his arm, and teams started to prepare for our passing game,” Coach Carl Thompson said. “That has opened our running game. Howe has done a great job.”

The line has improved as well.

“It’s hard to learn to do both well in high school, but our guys have learned run-block technique very well after spending most of the preseason learning to pass block,” Thompson said.

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Taft, which faces San Pedro in the City Section 4-A final Friday at the Coliseum, hasn’t faced much adversity this season. One scary moment came in the sixth game in a blowout victory over Cleveland.

Leading rusher Sedric Hurns suffered a knee injury and was out for two games.

Taft turned to sophomore Marquis Brignac and didn’t miss a beat. Even when Hurns returned, Brignac was the primary tailback.

“There’s a reason why [Brignac] wears No. 12,” Taft Coach Troy Starr said.

Brignac wears the number worn by tailback Jerry Brown, a redshirt freshman at Oregon, when he was at Taft. Brown was the star of Starr’s first three Taft teams.

The transition hasn’t been without its rough spots. Brignac was suspended for the final regular-season game after getting into an off-the-field fight, and last week against Westchester, he was benched in favor of Hurns.

“That’s OK, I know I still have some things to learn,” said Brignac, who has 623 yards in 92 carries and six touchdowns. Hurns has 719 yards in 104 carries and eight scores.

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Nordhoff Coach and Athletic Director Cliff Farrar said that while fans are welcome to arrive early and tailgate before Saturday’s 7:30 p.m. game with St. Bonaventure, the stadium gates won’t open until 6 p.m.

One gate will be for fans who bought pre-sale tickets at the schools. The other will be for those needing to buy tickets.

The Rangers played host to Atascadero in the 1994 Southern Section Division IX title game before an estimated crowd of 5,000. Farrar said he expects a similar gathering for the Division X game.

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When St. Bonaventure and Nordhoff met in the season’s third week, Shaun Twyman had a lousy view of the game’s biggest play.

Twyman, St. Bonaventure’s right cornerback, fell at the line of scrimmage midway through the fourth quarter, allowing Ben Harrold to make a game-winning, 36-yard touchdown catch.

Twyman has rebounded to help the Seraphs hold opponents to 173 yards per game.

“I think about what happened last time because it caused our only loss,” Twyman said. “But I can’t let it bother me. I think I’ve gotten a lot better since then.”

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Should St. Bonaventure lose to Nordhoff, expect Kathy Mack to sleep on the couch.

Mack, wife of Seraph Coach Jon Mack, vividly recalls her husband’s bedroom behavior years ago after he suffered an emotional loss as a Loyola assistant.

“He came to bed, went to sleep and started calling out plays,” Kathy Mack said. “Then he reached over and head-butted me.”

Knocked out of bed, she woke her husband by kicking him.

“He didn’t believe me until we turned on the light and I had a huge bump on my forehead,” she said. “Now when he starts mumbling, I hit the deck.”

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Both quarterbacks in the Division III game are three-sport athletes and all-league outfielders.

That’s where similarities end between Jorge Piedra of Notre Dame and Borchard of Camarillo.

Borchard, who has thrown more than twice as many passes, has 2,679 yards and 29 touchdowns for the Marmonte League-champion Scorpions (12-1).

Piedra, in a run-oriented attack, guided Notre Dame (12-1) to a fourth consecutive Mission League title. He has passed for 1,319 yards and 19 touchdowns, with only two interceptions in 155 passes.

An adept scrambler, Piedra has rushed for 482 yards and four touchdowns.