Granada Hills Displays Throwback Team

The Hart High passing tournament today offers a preview of the rebuilding effort being mounted by Granada Hills football coaches Darryl Stroh and Tom Harp.

Stroh and Harp, who guided the Highlanders to the City Section 4-A Division title in 1987, returned to the job in November.

“We’re pretty much starting from scratch,” Harp said. “But Darryl’s done a great job organizing the off-season program and we’re really happy with the effort and attitude of the kids.”

Stroh stepped down as football coach in 1993 and as baseball coach in 1996. Harp continued as football coach in 1994 before resigning to concentrate on coaching boys’ volleyball and girls’ soccer.

But after Granada Hills was 3-27 the last three seasons under coach Brad Ratcliff, Stroh and Harp decided to stage a comeback.

The team’s quarterback candidates appear to be juniors Jason Winn and Eddie Whitaker.

The 6-foot-3 Whitaker guided the Highlanders’ freshman-sophomore team last season and is described by Harp as having “a rocket arm.”

Harp says the 6-1 Winn, a transfer from Chatsworth, possesses excellent touch.

Harp said the quarterbacks will alternate series throughout the passing-league season before a starter is picked in preseason practice.

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At Harvard-Westlake, touted senior quarterback Matt Felder has the starting job after backing up John Terzian the last two seasons.

The 6-3, 215-pound Felder completed 37 of 73 passes for 563 yards and four touchdowns last season.

“By no means was Matt a backup quarterback in the traditional sense,” Harvard-Westlake Coach Dave Bennett said. “He just had to wait his turn. He’s a prototype drop-back quarterback who won’t throw the ball up for grabs and who will take a lick to get the pass off.”

One of Felder’s prime targets will be tight end Alex Holmes, who caught 38 passes for 695 yards and five touchdowns last season after transferring from La Jolla High.

Holmes, who was held out of spring practice to concentrate on academics, will attend his fourth year of high school beginning this fall but is listed as a junior.

That means the upcoming season will be the final one allowed Holmes unless he is granted a fifth year of eligibility by the Southern Section through an appeal.

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Passing Through

Other regional teams in the Hart passing tournament include:

* Notre Dame, Valencia, Littlerock, Chaminade, Saugus, St. Bonaventure, Kennedy, Royal, Burroughs, Buena and Chatsworth.

NOTE: The tournament semifinals are scheduled to kick off at 2 p.m. and the final is set for 3 p.m.