High School Football Is Doing Well

While standing in line at the market last month and perusing the screaming tabloid headlines, one immediately caught my attention from the cover of Sports Illustrated: “Is high school football dying?”

The answer is a resounding no, judging by the more than 10,000 people who filled College of the Canyons beyond capacity Saturday night to watch Hart High win the Southern Section Division III championship with a 17-14 victory over St. Paul.

This has been a season of football resurgence in the Valley region, where the high quality of play brought out fans in large numbers and produced the kind of classic games that will be remembered for years.

There were sellout crowds for Granada Hills-Taft, Notre Dame-Loyola, Notre Dame-Mater Dei. There were players who proved they’ll be playing next season on ESPN, from quarterback Kyle Boller of Hart to tight end Mike Seidman of Westlake.

But what high school football demonstrated once again is how unsung players can step forward and make a difference at the most crucial of moments.

None other than senior cornerback Jake Halladay of Hart was the hero Saturday. He quit football after his freshman season and became more interested in skateboarding than tackling.

He came out just to have fun with his friends during his last year of high school. So there he was with less than two minutes to play Saturday, trying to cover 6-foot-3 receiver Marcell Allmond. Allmond was terrorizing the Hart’s secondary, outleaping and outhustling defenders for the ball.

But Halladay fought Allmond to a draw. On second-and-seven from the Hart 17, Halladay jarred the ball loose from Allmond in the end zone. On third down, he forced another incompletion. Jack Thomas missed a 34-yard field goal attempt with 1:46 left, and Hart survived.

“I wouldn’t have missed this for the world,” Halladay said. “It’s the best night of my life. That No. 21 is the best receiver I’ve faced all year. All I knew is I had to knock it out of his hands. This is one of the biggest accomplishments of my life.”

It was the final game for Boller, who was held to his lowest passing total of the season, 161 yards. But he got his championship ring and finished with a state record 4,848 yards passing.

“We knew he was going to be awesome, but we never knew he’d be this great,” receiver Jared Bazar said. “I think he amazed all of us. I think everyone is thinking about, ‘Maybe if he goes off [to the pros one day], yeah, I played with him once.’ It’s been an honor.”

The honor is with all the local fans who got the opportunity to see Boller play. Everyone will remember his greatness as a mere 17-year-old and watch him in the coming years, whether he’s playing for Florida State or Oregon.

He has left his mark in Valley region sports history.

Here are some final observations from the 1998 football season:

Biggest upsets: 1. Alemany over St. Paul; 2. Notre Dame over Loyola; 3. Granada Hills over Taft.

Biggest complaint by City Section coaches: Poor officiating.

Biggest complaint by Southern Section coaches: Transfer students.

Revenge of the public schools: Hart’s last three victories came against St. Francis (tuition: $5,500), Alemany (tuition: $4,100) and St. Paul (tuition: $3,465).

Most underrated player: Receiver Kyle Cremarosa of Burroughs.

Player who would have been an all-star if not injured: Receiver Calvin Bell of Simi Valley.

Like father, like son: In 1970, Roger Hance was a reserve player on Granada Hills’ City championship team. On Friday night, his son, Brandon, guided Taft to the City title. “To see my son win a City championship and share that experience was overwhelming,” Roger said.

Top college prospects for 2001: 1. Defensive tackle Travis Johnson of Notre Dame; 2. Tight end Alex Holmes of Harvard-Westlake; 3. Running back Manuel White of Valencia; 4. Offensive tackle Steve Nevarez of San Fernando; 5. Kicker John Wall of Birmingham; 6. Offensive tackle Keith Holt of Westlake; 7. Quarterback Matt Cassel of Chatsworth; 8. Quarterback Zac Wasserman of Westlake; 9. Defensive end Gregg Guenther of Crespi; 10. Defensive tackle Patrick Norton of Hart; 11. Running back Julian Lambert of Westlake; 12. Quarterback Casey Clausen of Alemany; 13. Receiver Keary Colbert of Hueneme; 14. Defensive tackle Ray Cassaday of Valencia .

Most impressive sophomores: 1. Running back De’Andre Scott of Alemany; 2. Defensive end Kaelen Jakes of Valencia; 3. Quarterback John Sciarra of St. Francis; 4. Defensive tackle Pete Dubsky of Hart; 5. Running back Freddy Keiaho of Buena; 6. Wide receiver Keith Jarbo of Burroughs; 7. Defensive back Marcus Crawford of Thousand Oaks; 8. Defensive back Lee Marks of Taft; 9. Defensive back Michael Washington of Paraclete; 10. Defensive back Ryan Foltz of Westlake.

Strongest position for 1999: Quarterbacks.

Rating the quarterbacks for 1999: 1. Cassel; 2. Wasserman; 3. Clausen; 4. Joe Kroells of Burroughs; 5. Jason Winn of Granada Hills; 6. Hance; 7. Chris Lombardo of St. Bonaventure; 8. Kyle Loughman of Buena; 9. Rob Fockaert of Paraclete; 10. Sciarra; 11. Jonathon Brewster of Notre Dame; 12. Eddie Whitaker of Cleveland; 13. Kyle Matter or Travis Nicol of Hart.

Top teams for 1999: 1. Notre Dame, 2. Westlake, 3. Hart, 4. Taft, 5. Buena, 6. Valencia, 7. Alemany, 8. Granada Hills, 9. Newbury Park, 10. Kennedy.

Great matchups for 1999: Alemany vs. Bishop Amat in Division I; Notre Dame vs. Hart in Division III; Granada Hills vs. Taft in City Section; Westlake vs. Buena in Division IV.

Eric Sondheimer’s local column appears Wednesday and Sunday.