Old rival awaits Crusaders in final
Jeff Tully
There are two schools of thought for a team taking on an opponent for
the second time in a season after beating the opposition the first
time.
One thought is that because it was able to defeat its foe the
first time around, the odds are good that a team will be just as
successful in the second meeting.
However, there is the argument that beating an opponent twice in a
row is inherently more difficult than defeating it just once.
The Village Christian School football team will get a chance to
test the theories at 7:30 p.m. today as it takes on visiting North
Hills L.A. Baptist in the CIF Southern Section Division XII
championship game at Granada Hills Kennedy High.
Village Christian defeated the Knights, 54-14, on Nov. 14 to win
the Alpha League championship.
Crusaders’ Coach Marty Martin said he doesn’t favor either of the
theories about beating a team a second time.
“I think it is a little bit of both,” he said. “You can’t discount
a team because you have already beaten them. But since you have
already played them, you know a little more about the team and what
they like to do.
“Yes, we did beat them the first time, but things are a lot
different now. This is a CIF championship game and that makes it a
new ball game.”
Martin also said because the teams are league rivals -- and know
one another very well -- the game will take on an added wrinkle.
“This is a rivalry, and in rivalry games, anything can happen,” he
said. “We haven’t lost to them in the three years I’ve been the head
coach here, so that means a lot to me.”
In their first meeting, the Crusaders (11-2) set the tone of the
game, as senior running back Jason Christensen scampered 60 yards for
a touchdown on the first play from scrimmage.
Christensen bashed and pounded his way on the ground, punishing
the L.A. Baptist (10-3) defenders. The running back ended with 258
yards in 12 carries and three touchdowns.
Christensen has been a workhorse on offense for the Crusaders,
rushing for 1,851 yards in 186 carries and 30 touchdowns. He averages
an impressive 9.9 yards a carry and 142.4 yards a game.
The team also has a steady quarterback in junior Jake Hagedorn,
who has completed 124 of 245 passes for 2,035 yards, 15 touchdowns
and 14 interceptions.
Martin uses a balanced offensive attack, as the team has rushed
for 2,846 yards and passed for 2,227 yards in its 13 games.
L.A. Baptist and Coach Richard Fong also like to run a balanced
offense, and the Knights can pass or run when needed.
Leading the way is senior tight end Allen Walker, who has caught
44 passes for 828 yards -- 18.8 yards a catch -- and has nine
touchdowns.
Getting the ball to Walker is senior quarterback Alex Westmore,
who has completed 115 of 246 passes for 1,725 yards, 24 touchdowns
and 14 interceptions.
Another offensive option for the Knights is junior running back
Clarke Kress, who has gained 563 yards in 113 carries and has four
touchdowns.
Along with the rivalry implications, the Crusaders have another
motivation for winning the title game. Securing the championship
would give the school its first crown in the 54-year history of the
program.
“That is very important to us, to be that team that wins a
football title,” said senior lineman Jake Delaney, one of 11 Burbank
residents on the team. “We have the chance to do something no other
football team at the school has done, and we’re excited about that.”