Youth Is Served by Antelopes

Antelope Valley High is proving that experience is greatly overrated.

On Saturday, the Antelopes used two fumble recoveries and an interception for a touchdown by one sophomore and a 52-yard scoring run by another in a 28-13 Golden League victory over Littlerock.

“I love sophomores,” said Coach Brent Newcomb, who played three sophomores and a freshman. “It means you get to coach them for another year before they become seniors, when you can’t coach them at all.”

Newcomb was kidding, of course. But youngsters Jon Molock and Jermaine Norman needed little instruction in breaking open a hard-fought contest that saw the Antelopes lead, 6-0, at the half.

Molock recovered two fumbles, setting up short touchdown runs by quarterback Justin Mobley.

Mobley’s one-yard sneak in the second quarter gave the Antelopes a 6-0 lead. His five-yard run on a broken play in the third quarter, and a two-point conversion pass to Ryan Wagerle, made it 14-0.

Michael Woods’ 13-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter brought Littlerock to within 14-7, but Norman, a former Punt, Pass and Kick regional champion, broke a 52-yard touchdown run to give Antelope Valley breathing room.

Molock put the game away with 2:59 left when he intercepted Myles Meeden’s pass and ran 92 yards for a touchdown to make it 28-7.

Meeden, who was flattened as he threw the ball, was taken to a hospital with what was believed to be a broken rib.

His backup, Daniel Dibene, ran 14 yards for a touchdown with 33 seconds left.

Woods finished with 100 yards in 23 carries, but mishandled two pitches. One was recovered by Molock, the other by freshman Mark Sutton.

Andrew Campbell, an Antelope senior who didn’t play last season because of residential ineligibility, rushed for 101 yards in 17 carries. Mobley had 77 yards in 11 carries for the Antelopes, who gained 267 of their 320 yards on the ground.

Antelope Valley (4-2, 2-0 in league play), and ranked fifth in the region by The Times, will play Palmdale (5-2, 2-0) on Friday night in a game that could determine the league champion.

The Antelopes, who have won or shared the league championship three consecutive years, tied with Palmdale and Highland for the title last season.

Littlerock (5-2, 1-1), which may have its best team since last qualifying for the Southern Section playoffs in 1992, still hopes to factor into the league race.