September 2006 Archives
That's how many yards J.J. Diluigi's got after busting a 38-yard touchdown run to put this game out of reach, 49-32
School officials are trying to figure out if a new school record is being established.
Upon closer receiver Jeff McKinley rushed for 333 yards back in 1996.
You can chill, Jeff. It looks like your record's safe.
For another week, at least
There sure is a lot of scoring going on. Ryan Griffin just threw his fourth touchdown pass of the game, and his thid to Kevin Pillar to pull Chaminade within 42-32. Canyon keeps moving ahead, but the Eagles keep coming back.
Unfortunately they're running out of time, and J.J. Diluigi is still running strong (and killing clock) while piling up 235 on 29 carries.
There's 3:35 remaining in the fourth quarter, Canyon is facing a third and six.
Heading into the fourth quarter.
I keep thinking Canyon should be winning by more, but between the interception return TD and some untimely penalties Chaminade keeps sticking around.
This whole game has been sort of weird. The atmosphere is sort or laidback, which is very unlike Canyon. Typically fans here are rocking pretty loud. Buy tonight they're very subdued.
It's had a carry over effect on the field. Canyon is the better team, but for whatever reason the Cowboys can't seem to sustain the type of intensity needed to put this game out of reach.
They're in control. But the grip isn't that tight.
Thankfully for Canyon J.J. Diluigi came to play. He's got 187 yards right now.
And it would be a lot closer if Chaminade could convert an extra point.
As it is, the Eagles have missed three _ two kicks and a pass _ and trail 28-18.
If they coverted their PAT's they'd be within seven points.
It just shows how important the kicking game is.
It's an aspect people tend to overlook, but if Chaminade loses by three points you can't dispute the kicking game played the biggest part in the loss.
But there's still more than five minutes to play in the third, and the entire fourth quarter.
Word now from officials is that Chaminade actually arrived around 6:20 p.m. or so, and warmed up on a secondary field below the stadium. The start time was delayed by the officials arriving late after getting caught in traffic.
Canyon just extended the lead to 28-12 on 13-yard run by J.J. DiLugi, who now has 110 yards on the night.
Looks like Chaminade got the cobwebs out.
The Eagles just closed to 21-12 on a spectacular 80-yard interception return for a touchdown by Aubrey Smith. Canyon was driving late in the first half, but quarterback Ben Longshore floated a pass into coverage and Smith made him pay big time.
Smith is a good-looking player, a big, strong, fast safety who has no problem rocking opposing ball carriers and receivers.
And on this play it was his speed that jumped out. As soon as he intercepted the pass he gathered himself, got to the sideline, then shifted into a gear no one else on the field had. He crusied into the end zone for a big, big touchdown.
The Eagles are having all sorts of problems kicking the ball _ hence the two missed PAT's.
But they're back in the game, and they've got two quarters
A number of Pac-10 schools are showing interest.
You know how on a fourth-and-short the offense lines up and the quarterback starts barking out signals and gesturing with his hands trying to get the defense to jump off side?
It never works, right?
This time it did. As a result Chaminade got a first down, and now the Eagles are driving at the Canyon 20-yard line.
Not looking good for Chaminade, at all.
And that's too bad.
What intrigued me about this game was the chance for Chaminade to knock off a respected opponent. The Eagles were 3-0 heading into this game, and some wondered how accurate that record really was. In other words, is Chaminade really that good?
That's what I was hoping to find out.
The problem is I may not get the answer.
According to a Canyon official the Chaminade team bus rolled into Canyon at 7:15 or so. The team literally jumped off the bus, threw on their uniforms and marched up to the field.
I don't care how good or talented you are, that is no way to go into a football game.
And it's obvious by the way the Eagles are playing _ or not playing _ they weren't ready to start the game.
Especially against a team as good as Canyon.
Don't get me wrong, I am not knocking Canyon at all. The Cowboys were my pick in this game because I think they're the better team.
However, I'm not sure they'd be 21-0 better barely into the second quarter under normal circumstances.
Finally.
A fire between the 14 and 5 near Newhall Pass really threatened to mess things up tonight. School officials were contemplating suspending the the game around 2 p.m. because of heavy smoke in the area, but decided to greenlight the game later in the afternoon.
The biggest problem was the traffic from the San Fernando Valley to the Santa Clarita Valley. The Chaminade team buses showed up much later than usual, and their warm-up time was severely shortened. It will be interesting to see what affect that has on the game.
It certainly didn't help the Eagles first drive _ a three and out that stalled at their own 20-yard line.
Canyon is on the move at the Eagles 17.
There is a weird vibe throughout the stadioum. First off, there's hardly anybody on the Chaminade side _ no doubt the result of heavy traffic. But the late start and the rush job Chaminade made to get game ready has really thrown things out of whack.
On the field and off it.
From team buses to referees to the J.V. game, today has been one big delay.
And we have a brush fire to blame.
As a result, a highly anticipated game scheduled to begin at 7 p.m still hasn't started.
According to Canyon official the Chaminade team bus was late showing up to the game. In addition, a couple of referees still haven't arrived, although they're expected to show up any minute.
Boys' basketball standout Garrett Green, a 6-foot-8 forward from Taft High in Woodland Hills, has verbally committed to LSU, according to scout.com. After a solid performance thias past summer, Green chose LSU over Oregon and Arizona State.
It’s official: there is now an offshore gambling Web site which will take bets on high school football games.
On a Jamaica-based site, thegreek.com, last week’s Oaks Christian of Westlake Village vs. St. Bonaventure of Ventura game was listed as a gambling line. The Lions, who were listed as 3 ½ point favorites, defeated St. Bonaventure 59-13 Friday night in a match-up of nationally-ranked teams.
The site, which limits high school bets to a maximum of 200 dollars, also offers a proposition bet based on whether or not Oaks Christian quarterback Jimmy Clausen will win a Heisman trophy in his Notre Dame career.
The site offers no more high school lines for September, but will include eight games in October, including the Oct. 7 match-up between De La Salle of Concord and Mission Viejo.
Got a call from David Goosen today, wanting to clear the air over why he decided to step down as Reseda boys basketball coach. He's been getting a ton of calls with wild rumors about his decision and wanted to end the speculation.
``My wife and I just had a child and I wanted to spend more time at home, being a father,'' he said.
Keith Higgins is replacing Goosen as head coach. He'll be pulling double duty as both the boys' and girls' coach.
Here's Taft High of Woodland Hills football coach Troy Starr's assessment of Oaks Christian of Westlake Village's 59-13 dismantling of St. Bonaventure of Ventura Friday night:
"Nobody can stop Oaks Christian and that running back they have. They're the real deal. They're the best team in the nation, and I can't even begin to think there's another running back on the same level as Marc Tyler. To do that to St. Bonaventure is unbelievable. There's not a high school defense in the country that can stop him."
Couldn't agree more, Mr. Starr.
This Thursday's first half prediction:
Oaks Christian 38, Venice 3
Chatsworth High senior third baseman Matt Dominguez hit a three-run home run for the second game in a row Monday to propel the USA Baseball Junior National Team to an 8-2 victory over Mexico, securing a berth in Wednesday’s gold medal game of the International Baseball Federation AAA World Junior Baseball Championships in Cuba.
The U.S., which has won five consecutive games since opening the tournament with back-to-back losses, will play for the title against the winner of Tuesday’s semifinal between Canada and Korea.
Dominguez’s home run in the first inning put the U.S. ahead for good against Mexico. He had two hits in the game, giving him four hits and six RBIs in the past two games. Fellow Chatsworth standout Mike Moustakas scored two runs.
“We were going to score a lot of runs so I just started things … it was just a matter of time,� Dominguez said. “After starting the tournament 0-2, we got a little anxious about making the gold-medal game. But we defeated two pretty good teams in the past two days to get here. I am looking forward to the game. I think it will be exciting.�
Dominguez and Moustakas were pivotal in a 4-0 quarterfinal upset of Cuba. Dominguez broke a scoreless tie with a three-run homer in the seventh inning. Moustakas, playing left field, robbed Cuba of a potential two-run home run by leaping high above the outfield wall to snag a drive in the third inning. He also went 3 for 4 and scored two runs.
Campbell Hall senior Justin Holiday has verbally committed to Washington. The 6-foot-6 small forward committed Sunday after visiting UW this weekend.
Holiday also had offers from Arizona State, USC, Texas Tech and SMU.
You've got to give a lot of credit to Oaks Christian offensive coordinator Mark Bates, who helped develop the pro-style spread offense that racked up 600 yards and 59 points on a St. Bonaventure defense that had yielded 20 points in its first three games.
Some of the Lions plays were so well designed --particularly the misdirection on running plays-- it would make an NFL coordinator start taking notes. And Bates, who coached at LA Baptist for 10 years before coming to Oaks, is the architect.
``It's easy when the guys exceute as well as they did,'' Bates said, modestly. ``Jimmy's calling 1/2 of the plays himself too.''
You've got to give a lot of credit to Oaks Christian offensive coordinator Mark Bates, who helped develop the pro-style spread offense that racked up 600 yards and 59 points on a St. Bonaventure defense that had yielded 20 points in its first three games.
Some of the Lions plays were so well designed --particularly the misdirection on running plays-- it would make an NFL coordinator start taking notes. And Bates, who coached at LA Baptist for 10 years before coming to Oaks, is the architect.
``It's easy when the guys exceute as well as they did,'' Bates said, modestly. ``Jimmy's calling 1/2 of the plays himself too.''
Not much more to say about this one. Here's a parting shot: I feel sorry for Oaks' next opponents. May God have mercy on them ....
Quite a night for Marc Tyler. He just scored his fifth TD on a 1-yard run, and he's up to 271 yards on 22 carries ... Simply an amazing display.
BTW, his dad, Wendell, took a hard hit on the sidelines. He rose right back up but a few minutes later admitted he was "still sore." The elder Tyler planned to ice down after the game.
Michael Lee's 13-yard TD run toward the end of the third quarter have made things a bit more respectable. we'll see if Oaks keeps scoring ....
Just as I hit send on that last blog post, Tyler reeled off a 25-yard TD run. He has 247 yards and four TDs in 13 carries. Ramona asked him at halftime if he was working a full night tonight, and he said yes. Let's see how much longer he stays in ...
Oaks drove but fumbled the ball away to open the third, and after stopping Bonnie on fourth down near the Oaks goal line, Oaks is driving again. Tyler has 222 yards and three TDs in 12 carries. Clausen has completed 14 of 23 for 211 yards and two TDs.
Quite literally. Devin Fiscalini, 13, an eighth-grader at Oaks Christian, is among a large contingent who've temporarily died their hair cardinal red, the main school color.
"I don't know much about football but I wanted to show some school spirit," Fiscalini said. "My parents think it's pretty funny."
Another quick, impressive drive for Oaks, which has amassed 349 yards and leads 38-7. Tyler has 147 yards and three TDs in nine carries .... No one is going to stop this kid. He's a legitimate prep superstar.
Well, St. Bonnie is going to have a very difficult time keeping this respectable, as Tyler just scored on a 73-yard TD run, juking several tackles ... and he looks like he's not finished yet, either. Very businesslike and determined young man. So it's 31-7 with three minutes left in the second, and the Oaks "overrated" talk has officially ended ....
Steven Vernardi kicks a 30-yard FG, lead back to 17 ... BTW, Clausen is 10 of 17 for 143 yards and two TDs, and Tyler has 69 yards in seven carries ...
Well, you don't win 98 out of 101 games without some toughness. St. Bonnie just scored on Patrick Hall's 38-yard reception, and now it's 21-7, Oaks early in the second quarter. Stay tuned ...
End of the first quarter, 21 points for Oaks. St. Bonnie's three previous opponents scored a combined 20 ...
It's not a matter of when St. Bonnie will stop Oaks ... but IF. Seven plays, 68 yards, 40-yard TD pass Christopher Owusu. 21-zip, and as my esteemed collegue Ramona Shelburne has pointed out, it's only the first quarter ...
This time Oaks drives 91 yards in 96 seconds, culminating with a 13-yard TD run by Tyler, who also had a 25-yard run during the drive. Two point conversion good, 14-0 Oaks, and this thing is getting out of hand ...
Nervous little opponent? Not so far. After holding St. Bonnie to three-and-out, Oaks uses a 24-yard punt return by Chris Potter, followed by a five-play, 41-touchdown drive. Clausen passed 15 yards to Sean Wiser for the TD, and that was that ... PAT failed, muffed play.
Former NFL great Wendell Tyler, father of Oaks' star RB Marc Tyler, works as an Oaks assistant, and among his duties is to deliver a pregame speech.
The elder Tyler pulled out all the stops tonight.
"I just told them the truth: Great teams win big games. Great teams play with confidence. Great teams don't make mistakes under pressure," Tyler said. "Then I told them: 'The question is, are you a great team?'"
At that moment, Tyler peeled off his shirt to reveal a St. Bonaventure t-shirt underneath, and the Oaks players ripped it off his body and head out the locker-room door.
Potter, whose son, Chris, is an Oaks startring receiver, admitted feeling a bit of deja vu as the teams warmed up. Thirty-six years ago, as quarterback for Granada Hills High, he was the focal point of the San fernando Valley's biggest ever game (still to this date) in the 1970 City Championship against rival San Fernando before a crowd of 18,000 at Birmingham High.
"I told Christopher that tonight he can start a new legacy," Potter said.
BTW, the younger Potter, a junior who was a star QB in Pop Warner but happens to play for the same team as Jimmy Clausen, has been offered a scholarship -- as a receiver -- by Oregon State and Troy State. So I guess it's not nine DI-bound players at Oaks, it's TEN.
There are a lot of reasons so many folks are interested in tonight's showdown. For me, what makes things especially intriguing is "the great unknown." I don't care how many DI-bound superstars play for Oaks Christian, the cold, hard fact is they've never beaten a truly great team -- never scheduled one, it should be pointed out -- so tonight is the measuring stick, the Litmus test, the tell-all.
Everyone says St. Bonnie has everything to lose, and Oaks has nothing to lose. No way. Oaks has everything to lose, specifically credibility, if the boys don't win, or at the minimum put up a good fight. St. Bonnie has more than proven itself. If they lose, oh well, a bad game. Get 'em next week. For Oaks, which returns to a small-school schedule, there IS no tommorow -- not even another section title will quiet the skeptics if Clausen and Co. don't measure up tonight.
How weird, really. Oaks, ranked higher than St. Bonnie in most polls, is the underdog and the favorite all at the same time.
Plus, all the pregame hype -- or most of it, anyway -- proclaims the key for St. Bonnie is put pressure on Oaks' QB Jimmy Clausen, a great talent who hasn't beaten anyone ... yet. We'll see if this Lion has the heart of one or not tonight. If he comes through dramatically, he's a hero. If he doesn't, he'll take the blame ... and rightfully so. That's the way it is when you're a star quarterback. Deal.
Well, this game is officially ON, no worry about ambient smoke, ashes, etc. It's 90 minutes before kickoff, and the place is PACKED ... not a seat in this house.
"It's an amazing crowd. I've never seen a JV crowd this big," said Thom Simmons, a Southern Section media rep who helped to organize media credentials. "We have 112 media requests, and there were only 78 for the De La Salle-Long Beach Poly game a few years back. For a CIF standpoint, it's always gratifying to have this kind of attention for any event, and football is the biggest thing on the block. It's a real treat for these kids because they're getting first-class treatment. What a great event."
Well, this game is officially ON, no worry about ambient smoke, ashes, etc. It's 90 minutes before kickoff, and the place is PACKED ... not a seat in this house.
"It's an amazing crowd. I've never seen a JV crowd this big," said Thom Simmons, a Southern Section media rep who helped to organize media credentials. "We have 112 media requests, and there were only 78 for the De La Salle-Long Beach Poly game a few years back. For a CIF standpoint, it's always gratifying to have this kind of attention for any event, and football is the biggest thing on the block. It's a real treat for these kids because they're getting first-class treatment. What a great event."
There are a lot of reasons so many folks are interested in tonight's showdown. For me, what makes things especially intriguing is "the great unknown." I don't care how many DI-bound superstars play for Oaks Christian, the cold, hard fact is they've never beaten a truly great team -- never scheduled one, it should be pointed out -- so tonight is the measuring stick, the Litmus test, the tell-all.
Everyone says St. Bonnie has everything to lose, and Oaks has nothing to lose. No way. Oaks has everything to lose, specifically credibility, if the boys don't win, or at the minimum put up a good fight. St. Bonnie has more than proven itself. If they lose, oh well, a bad game. Get 'em next week. For Oaks, which returns to a small-school schedule, there IS no tommorow -- not even another section title will quiet the skeptics if Clausen and Co. don't measure up tonight.
How weird, really. Oaks, ranked higher than St. Bonnie in most polls, is the underdog and the favorite all at the same time.
Plus, all the pregame hype -- or most of it, anyway -- proclaims the key for St. Bonnie is put pressure on Oaks' QB Jimmy Clausen, a great talent who hasn't beaten anyone ... yet. We'll see if this Lion has the heart of one or not tonight. If he comes through dramatically, he's a hero. If he doesn't, he'll take the blame ... and rightfully so. That's the way it is when you're a star quarterback. Deal.
Well, this game is officially ON, no worry about ambient smoke, ashes, etc. It's 90 minutes before kickoff, and the place is PACKED ... not a seat in this house.
"It's an amazing crowd. I've never seen a JV crowd this big," said Thom Simmons, a Southern Section media rep who helped to organize media credentials. "We have 112 media requests, and there were only 78 for the De La Salle-Long Beach Poly game a few years back. For a CIF standpoint, it's always gratifying to have this kind of attention for any event, and football is the biggest thing on the block. It's a real treat for these kids because they're getting first-class treatment. What a great event."
Spoke with St. Bonaventure coach Jon Mack about 1230 today and he said the game was still on.
``If it's up to me, we'll be playing,'' Mack said.
The implication being, it may not be up to him. The game officials have the right to cancel the game if they feel condidions are too unhealthy.
However, Mack said the weather in Ventura was good and he expected it to stay that way until game time.
Right now, I'd say there's a 98 percent chance the game is on.
The final word on today's showdown between St. Bonaventure and Oaks Christian will belong to Mother Nature.
Firefighters are scrambling to surrond the Day fire which has burned more than 107,685 acres of brush and timber in the Los Padres National Forest before Santa Ana winds pick up Friday afternoon.
The fire has burned since Labor Day but is still only 39 percent contained and fire officials anticipate that the Santa Ana winds would push the blaze to the southwest, perhaps toward Ojai 10 miles to the west or Santa Paula, six miles to the south.
If that happens smoke from the fire will blow towards Ventura and could create unhealthy air conditions. This is a big game, but nobody is going to allow high school athletes to play in unhealthy conditions.
The blaze was sluggish Thursday, thanks to cool weather and light winds. But the Santa Ana winds are expected to kick up by Friday afternoon.
Kickoff is 7 p.m.
Check back in the morning for an update.
I don't think I'm going out on too long of a limb to suggest that the JV game before Friday's Oaks-St. Bonaventure game will be one of the biggest crowds ever to watch a JV game in area history.
Fans are being advised to arrive at Ventura High several hours before the 7 p.m. kickoff, meaning they'll be in their seats for most of the JV game!
Expect all 8,000 seats at Larrabee Stadium to be filled. In fact, the crowd is expected to be so large, the schools have told their JV and freshman players that they'll need a ticket to attend the varsity game. Normally, showing up with a just-used jersey is enough to gurantee admission, but this is no ordinary game....