Muir Won’t Be Easy Date for Crescenta Valley Homecoming

Many teams select a patsy for their homecoming-game opponent. Not Crescenta Valley.

The Falcons will celebrate homecoming Friday night at Glendale High against Southern Section powerhouse Muir, a Pacific League nemesis.

Crescenta Valley (8-0), ranked fourth in the region by The Times, has not beaten the Mustangs since 1978, a losing streak of 18 games.

“But we feel this is our year,” Coach Alan Eberhart said. “We picked [Muir] because we want the whole world to see this game.”

A victory over Muir would clinch a share of the Falcons’ first league title since they won the Foothill League in 1976.

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Honorary doctorate? Calabasas Coach Larry Edwards isn’t a doctor, but he is starting to feel like one. “I’m getting real good at diagnosing injuries,” he said.

Two more players were injured against Nordhoff on Friday. Robby Coppola, who has rushed for 1,045 yards and 16 touchdowns, left the game in the first quarter with a sprained right ankle. His status for the Coyotes’ game Thursday against St. Bonaventure has not been determined. Lineman John Ellinghouse, who left the Nordhoff game with a concussion, is questionable.

Jeff Wilk, a tight end and linebacker, already is out for the season with a knee ligament tear. Defensive tackle Mason Poole is out for the season with a broken hand. Drew Coppola, a fullback and linebacker, will miss at least two more weeks with nerve damage in his neck. Calabasas has lost three in a row after a 5-0 start lifted it to No. 1 in Southern Section Division X.

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Benkert receives good news: Westlake receiver Joey Cuppari, who sat out most of the second half in the Warriors’ victory over Camarillo on Friday with a sprained left ankle, will play this week against Newbury Park in a game that should decide the Marmonte League championship.

Cuppari is the region’s leading receiver with 55 catches for 959 yards and 19 touchdowns, and has scored 133 points. He also kicks and plays defense.

“He didn’t practice [Monday],” Westlake Coach Jim Benkert said. “But he’s walking on it and he will play every snap--we need him to play.”

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Down and out: When Harvard-Westlake played St. Francis on Saturday, both teams were hit by costly injuries. St. Francis lost wide receiver J.R. Cortez with a broken collarbone. Harvard-Westlake wide receiver Bethuel Mbugua went out with a knee injury.

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For openers: Running back Steve Smith, perhaps Poly’s best player, made his debut for the Parrots against Grant on Friday after becoming academically eligible. He made quite an impact, rushing for 207 yards in 15 carries and scoring on runs of 81 and 73 yards. He had 151 yards in 48 carries last season.

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It’s official: Notre Dame running back Justin Fargas turned in the first 400-yard rushing performance of the season on Friday. The Times had Fargas with 392 yards against Bishop Montgomery, but the official mark was 404 yards in 25 carries.

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But he can run: Larry Jones of Taft has to be among the lightest starting defensive linemen in the City Section.

And he definitely is the fastest.

Jones, 5 feet 11 and 150 pounds, is defending City champion at 400 meters. He was moved from linebacker to defensive end this season and has become an important cog in an aggressive defense that focuses on speed.

“It took a little bit of time to get used to playing against all the big guys on the line,” Jones said. “Now I’m used to it and I like it.”

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Life on the other side: Andrew Jones and Robert Winson, standout offensive linemen for St. Bonaventure, played defense on Saturday and helped hold Carpinteria to 25 rushing yards.

Coach Jon Mack said the pair--6-5, 256 pounds and 6-4, 263 pounds, respectively--shouldn’t get too comfortable playing defense, though.

“Only when we have to,” Mack said.