Chatsworth Ends the Way It Starts

Three months didn’t make much of a difference to the Chatsworth High football team.

After opening the season with a three-touchdown victory over Reseda, Chatsworth won its first football title since 1979 with a 34-7 victory Friday night over the Regents at the Coliseum.

Seventh-seeded Chatsworth (9-5) claimed the City Section’s first Division Championship, which pits the best 16 teams not to qualify for the City Championship.

The Chancellors came into the title game with a reputation for a pass-oriented offense--quarterback Matt Cassel had thrown for 2,647 yards. But Cassel proved he could run as well, having a hand in all five Chatsworth touchdowns.

He completed 16 of 30 passes for 243 yards and three touchdowns. But he also gained 99 yards in 12 carries, scoring on runs of four and 13 yards.

“[Reseda] was playing much better pass defense in the second half,” Cassel said. “That opened everything up for me.”

Cassel spread the ball around. Reggie Lee had six receptions for 102 yards and one touchdown, Mark Harris caught four for 74 yards and one touchdown and three other receivers each caught two passes.

The Regents (9-5) didn’t get going offensively until it was too late. Senior fullback Joseph Looney broke off an 83-yard run midway through the fourth quarter, setting up his three-yard run with 3:24 left.

“We didn’t play as well as we could,” said Looney, who gained 163 yards in 17 carries. “There were too many turnovers and mistakes. This isn’t how I wanted to go out.”

Reseda committed four turnovers and gained only 111 yards in the first three quarters.

The Regents’ best possession in the first half was their first, when they gained two first downs before the modest drive stalled at midfield.

Conversely, Chatsworth needed one drive to get started. On the first series, Jason Holmes was nearly tackled in the end zone for a safety and Chatsworth was forced to punt.

But the second drive--and the rest of the game--went much more smoothly for the Chancellors. Cassel needed only two plays to advance 62 yards--a 34-yard completion to Lee and a 28-yard touchdown pass to Harris.

“We just needed a little time to get going,” Cassel said.

By halftime, Chatsworth was winning, 21-0.

The Reseda offense was being stifled. Skyler McKnight completed only four of 12 passes for 38 yards. The Regents tried two option passes by Erik Ceja, both of which were intercepted.

“I knew [we] would have liked to have gotten more out of tonight but I’ve been here before and these things happen,” Reseda Coach Joel Schaeffer said. “[We] played hard but this is a game where everything went wrong.”

Chatsworth had little trouble in its advance to the title, not allowing more than 15 points in any playoff game.

“This was a steppingstone for our program,” Chatsworth Coach Bill Coan said. “We plan to do more next year.”