Buena’s Scott Gets Back to Ball Control

Through the 1980s, when he coached several top quarterbacks at Hart and Buena highs and won a Southern Section championship in 1986, Rick Scott developed a well-deserved reputation as master of the passing game.

Adapting to personnel is the mark of a good coach, however, and during the ‘90s Scott brought his head out of the clouds and down to earth. From 1990-93, tailback George Keiaho rushed for 6,615 yards, the second-highest total in Southern Section history.

Scott’s Buena teams continue to excel at controlling the ball on the ground and beating pass-oriented teams by playing keep-away with the football.

Case in point: Buena upset Westlake, 20-19, Friday despite allowing 374 passing yards. The Bulldogs shut out the Warriors in the second half by controlling ball behind the running of senior Aaron Kleefisch, who rushed for 135 yards and three touchdowns in 27 carries.

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Harvard-Westlake’s smallest player and one of its biggest figured heavily in the Wolverines’ victory over Burbank.

Bethuel Mgbugua, 5 feet 6 and 145 pounds, caught a pass for a 51-yard touchdown. Pressed into service as a cornerback, Mgbugua blocked a punt and intercepted a pass. Another Mgbugua interception was nullified by a penalty.

Meanwhile, sophomore Alex Holmes, a 6-foot-3, 265-pound defensive lineman and tight end who transferred in from La Jolla, caught four passes for 145 yards and two touchdowns.

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There’s a reason Sylmar’s Shaun Avalos is so tired after games.

The senior wide receiver/defensive back/kicker/punter rarely leaves the field, as he proved in Sylmar’s victory over Washington.

Avalos caught three passes for 39 yards and a touchdown, intercepted a pass and returned it 31 yards for another score, punted twice for a 36.5 yard average, made two of three extra-point attempts, missed a a 30-yard field goal attempt and ran in a two-point conversion.

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Santa Barbara not only defeated Saugus, 44-35, the Dons kept the Centurions off the dance floor. The teams combined for 140 plays and the game didn’t end until 10:40.

“We had a dance scheduled for 10 to 12,” Saugus Coach Ron Hilton said. “Our kids didn’t make it until 11:40.”

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Calabasas running back Robby Coppola is one carry away from tying the school career record.

Coppola, a senior, has 382 carries, one short of the record set by Mike Webb from 1986 to 1988.

Coppola also owns school career marks in rushing yards, total yards and touchdowns.

“He’s our rushing record book once he gets this one,” Calabasas Coach Larry Edwards said. “This closes the book. He has them all.”