Taft Takes Stock of Losman

Defensive coordinator Frank Grossman of Taft is going to be spending hours watching videotape as he tries to come up with a game plan to stop Venice and its high-powered passing attack Wednesday in a City Championship quarterfinal.

“That kid is a great quarterback,” Grossman said of Venice’s J.P. Losman.

Asked if Venice had the best passing attack he had seen in eight years at Taft, Grossman said, “Absolutely.”

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Comparatively speaking: The second-round City Championship game between Taft and Venice should be a high scoring affair if what both teams did in games against El Camino Real this month is indicative.

Taft, with Brandon Hance and Lawrence Wallace hooking up for five touchdown passes, defeated El Camino Real 42-0.

Venice, with Losman throwing for three touchdowns, downed El Camino Real, 42-14, in a first-round game Thursday.

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Fighting words: Who knows where high school coaches--and players--find their motivation.

Losman, the Venice quarterback headed for UCLA, doesn’t have to look far. Just this week Taft Coach Troy Starr let everyone know exactly who he thinks is the best high school quarterback in the Southland.

“Kyle Boller is the best high school quarterback I’ve seen in my life,” Starr said after watching the Hart High senior on television.

Starr will see Losman--up close and in person--in a second-round game.

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Quotebook: Highland defensive tackle Edwin Reed on Boller: “He’s a stud. Before the game, I’m going to ask for his autograph.”

We don’t know if Reed actually did ask, but Boller held up his end. He completed 21 of 33 passes for 342 yards and five touchdowns to lead Hart to a 56-6 victory.

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No difference: After watching his team lose to Thousand Oaks, 42-41, in a regular-season finale, Newbury Park Coach George Hurley switched his team’s defensive alignment from a 5-2 to a 4-3 to give more freedom to linebacker Anthony Foli.

The No. 1-seeded Panthers had decent success containing Ventura’s potent running game in Friday night’s first-round Division VI playoff game, but the defense gave up several big plays and the Panther offense committed too many turnovers in a 41-39 loss.