Welcome Back . . . but See Ya’ Later

Fountain Valley linebacker Bernard Fano, a 6-foot-2, 250-pound senior, made an immediate impact Thursday night against third-ranked Esperanza. He returned to the lineup after missing three games with a hamstring injury.

Fano spent much of the first half in Esperanza’s backfield--sacking quarterback Greg Farrell once, batting down two passes and twice dropping running back Temitope Sonuyi for losses.

But in the second half, Fano and his teammates began to wear down. They gave up huge chunks of yardage to Sonuyi and Farrell, losing a 12-0 halftime lead and the game, 41-15.

“We made too many mistakes and we missed a lot of tackles,” said Fano, who had nothing but praise for Sonuyi, who finished with 328 yards rushing and five touchdowns.

“He’s strong, powerful and fast,” Fano said. “The hardest thing about bringing him down is that his legs are so strong. He also has a pretty good offensive line.”

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The start of the Mater Dei-Santa Fe Springs St. Paul game Friday was delayed 30 minutes after the St. Paul team bus was rear-ended minutes after getting on the Santa Ana Freeway en route to the game.

“It wasn’t much of an accident, but we had to stop and wait for the highway patrol,” St. Paul Coach Marijon Ancich said.

Because the bus was slightly damaged, the team had to wait for a second bus and didn’t arrive at Santa Ana Stadium until 6:40. Officials agreed to push back the 7:30 start to allow St. Paul sufficient time to warm up.

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Junior Chris Jackson missed twice as many games as he has played for Western the past two years, but the halfback could be the final piece of the puzzle in the Pioneers’ effort to win the Orange League title.

Jackson was the leading rusher for Western in its 61-11 victory over Magnolia Thursday night carrying the ball six times for 110 yards and two touchdowns.

“We wanted to get him back in the rhythm, so we gave him a few carries,” said senior David Gober, the Pioneers’ leading rusher this season.

Jackson suffered a torn hip muscle and a chipped growth plate on the opening kickoff of the third game last season and didn’t return until the playoffs, where his playing time was limited.

Jackson played in the opening game this season against Loara, but missed the following week of practice because of personal reasons and Coach Toby Howell held him out the next four weeks.

“I wanted to come back,” Jackson said. “So I kept practicing the whole time and my coach let me play.”

The Pioneers can certainly use Jackson Thursday, when they play Valencia in a critical Orange League showdown.

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It’s no secret Villa Park’s Bryan Arguello is the Spartans’ go-to player, and it doesn’t bother quarterback John Henry Jackson that opponents know what to expect.

Arguello had six receptions for 131 yards in a 35-13 victory over El Modena Friday.

He also had a 37-yard catch to convert a third and 11 and his 10-yard scoring reception--for a team-leading ninth touchdown--came against double coverage to push Villa Park’s lead to 28-7.

“I don’t care how many guys are on Bryan,” Jackson said. “I have faith in him.”

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Most football coaches in the Pacific Coast League agree that first-year Northwood will quickly move to the top of the league standings, most likely by next season. So how did Estancia Coach Dave Perkins explain his team apparently not taking the Timberwolves seriously when this is the season they can get their whacks in?

“They’re high school kids,” Perkins said. “You put your livelihood in the hands of 16-year-olds, and sometimes they don’t do what they’re supposed to do.”

A couple of examples: The Eagles had two 15-yard personal-foul penalties that helped along touchdown drives for the Timberwolves, and even had back-to-back delay-of-game penalties.

Regarding the latter, Perkins said, “We had a sophomore trying to tell the quarterback the play with his mouthpiece in.”

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Newport Harbor Coach Jeff Brinkley knows Irvine almost like the back of his hand. The reason? Before his Sailors played Irvine, he and his offensive coaches watched about 20 1/2 hours of game film on Irvine, including a loss to the Vaqueros in 1998.

And that doesn’t include all the film that his defensive coaches watched.

Nevertheless, Irvine won, 19-14, Friday.

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Santiago’s Rudy Rodriguez returned the opening kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown against La Quinta Thursday night.

That had to bring a smile to Bart Recktenwald, Santiago’s first-year coach. Recktenwald was a standout player for La Quinta from 1983-85, leading the Aztecs to the 1985 Central Conference championship game, before playing at the University of Arizona.

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Kennedy’s Rhema McKnight is quickly becoming one of the county’s top double threats. Not only is the 6-2, 165-pound wide receiver a top pass catcher, but his punt returns also have proved lethal to Fighting Irish opponents.

During Thursday’s game against El Dorado, McKnight scored his third touchdown of the season on a punt return. His 56-yard return made the score 26-7, and Kennedy went on to beat El Dorado, 33-14.