Brian Gadsby praised after sparkling effort for Crescenta Valley High football team
GLENDALE — The Glendale YMCA Quarterback Club, in its 71st year, normally meets Tuesdays at the Elk’s Lodge. The following are odds and ends from the first meeting of the year, which was held at Oakmont Country Club.
GADSBY STANDS TALL FOR FALCONS
After Crescenta Valley High junior quarterback Brian Gadsby threw a career-high six touchdowns to lead the Falcons to a season-opening 54-20 intersectional road victory against Verdugo Hills, Crescenta Valley Coach Paul Schilling did some research.
Schilling looked at the passing statistics from last season, only to come away shocked.
“I saw that we only had four touchdown passes all of last year,” Schilling said. “For some reason, I thought we had more.
“Brian can do a lot of things, and he spread the ball around very nicely against Verdugo Hills.”
Gadsby, a reigning All-Area Baseball first-team pick, completed 13 of 23 passes for 174 yards against Verdugo Hills.
Gadsby was called up from the junior varsity team with two games left last season. He then led the Falcons to Pacific League wins against Hoover and rival Arcadia, giving him additional confidence entering the 2013 campaign.
Gadsby will look to extend his string of perfection, as the Falcons shoot for their first 2-0 start since 2001. Crescenta Valley will next face visiting San Marino, ranked No. 6 in the latest CIF Southern Section Mid-Valley Division, in a nonleague home game at 7 p.m. Thursday at Glendale High’s Moyse Field.
MUDIE TO THE RESCUE FOR KNIGHTS
As the St. Francis High football team looks to get back to the CIF Southern Section Western Division postseason, one of the likely factors in determining its fate will be the play of senior Joe Mudie.
Mudie, a featured running back, showcased his versatility Friday during St. Francis’ season-opening 52-3 road nonleague win against Chino. Mudie finished with two catches for 55 yards and a touchdown. He also excelled on the ground, collecting 124 yards and a pair of touchdowns in 13 carries.
“He’s going to be one of our go-to guys game in and game out,” St. Francis Coach Jim Bonds said.
St. Francis, ranked No. 8 in the latest division poll, will meet visiting Righetti (2-0) in a nonleague game at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Friedman Field.
GRIM STOPS BY TO VISIT CLUB
Former National Football League player Bob Grim played in his share of big collegiate and professional contests. Grim stood out at left end for Oregon State, where he helped the Beavers advance to the Rose Bowl in 1965 against Michigan. As a member of the Minnesota Vikings, Grim appeared in a pair of Super Bowls.
However, it was during his one season in 1975 with the Chicago Bears where Grim, who was the guest speaker at Tuesday’s meeting, fondly recalled being a teammate of legendary running back Walter Payton.
“I had a chance to play the 1975 season with the Chicago Bears under coach Jack Pardee,” Grim said. “I was basically in the twilight of my career and the Bears had a pretty young team at that time.
“One day, I noticed this rookie running back who stayed late after practice quite a few times. He just caught my eye. One day after practice, I went up to him and asked why he stays so late after practice. Walter said, ’I think I’m pretty good and I can play in this league, but I have to perfect my skill and get better everyday.’ He was such a remarkable player.”
Payton, who was picked fourth overall in the 1975 draft, finished his career rushing for a then-league record 16,726 rushing yards and 110 touchdowns and helped Chicago win the Super Bowl in 1985 against the New England Patriots.
Grim, a former Pro Bowl selection, played in 133 NFL games after being drafted in the second round in 1967. The wide receiver registered 194 catches for 2,914 yards and 16 touchdowns while playing for Minnesota, Chicago and the New York Giants.
