NOTEBOOK : Buena’s Isaacs Declares He’ll Be Ready for Santa Barbara

It will take more than a bruised knee to keep Buena High quarterback Jason Isaacs from playing against Santa Barbara for the Channel League championship.

“I’m playing Friday night,” Isaacs said. “There’s nothing going to hold me back. No one has told me that I can play. I haven’t received a doctor’s release. But I’m playing anyway.”

Isaacs suffered a bruised right knee during last Friday’s 34-29 defeat to Dos Pueblos. Two Charger linemen plowed into Isaacs’ knee shortly after the senior standout threw an incomplete pass. Isaacs was carried off the field and taken to a hospital.

Isaacs was plagued by knee problems earlier this season and was played with injuries in consecutive shutout losses to Thousand Oaks and Newbury Park. Despite his quarterback’s bravado, Coach Rick Scott doesn’t sound as if he’s counting on Isaacs to play.

“I keep making jokes because I have nothing to say that’s positive,” Scott said. “It’s hard going into a game without him. I don’t think we stand much of a chance.”

Buena (5-3 overall, 4-1 in league play) needs Isaacs in the lineup to have a legitimate chance of beating Santa Barbara (7-1, 5-0) and winning its first Channel League title in 17 years. The Bulldogs also will be bidding to reach the playoffs in consecutive years for the first time since 1970 and ’71.

Without Isaacs, the Bulldogs would have to use either Jim Seguine or Mike Dexter, who threw three passes against Thousand Oaks and two were intercepted.

“I’m concerned that I can really get hurt,” Isaacs said. “But this is a big game. You have to overcome these things. I have had ultrasound treatments on Monday and Tuesday and I ice it while I’m in class. I’ll be ready to play.”

Air free: What’s all the talk about Ventura College running attack? Sure the Pirates have solid sophomore Ryan Rapoza and former Channel Islands’ standout John Johnson. But they also have a quarterback that won’t throw away a game.

Quarterback Todd Paffhausen has not thrown an interception in 99 attempts this season. He has completed 58.6% of his passes, second in the conference, and has thrown for 981 yards and nine touchdowns.

Paffhausen’s passing rating of 171.8 would lead the state if he had enough completions to qualify. Frank Dolca of El Camino leads the state at 160.1.

In Saturday’s 33-23 victory over L.A. Southwest, Paffhausen completed 10 of 17 for 139 yards and two touchdowns.

Now the Pirates need an accurate passer more than ever after losing Rapoza, who sustained a broken little finger on his right hand and may miss the remainder of the season. Rapoza is the fourth-leading rusher in the Western State Conference with 544 yards in 81 carries (6.7 average). He will have the finger in a splint at least eight days.

Fortunately, the Pirates (7-0, 6-0) have an abundance of talented running backs. William Mills will start in Rapoza’s place Saturday at L. A. Harbor (1-6, 1-5).

“Our running-backs situation is pretty good, so it won’t destroy the season,” Coach Phil Passno said. “It’s more unfortunate for Ryan than anyone.”

Pirate honored: Ventura linebacker Lee Jaitt was one of two players selected California community college player of the week. Jaitt, a 6-foot-1, 215-pound sophomore from Oxnard High, was also the Western State Conference defensive player of the week.

Jaitt intercepted a pass and returned it 45 yards for a touchdown. Then, with Ventura nursing a 26-23 lead in the fourth quarter, he stepped between the quarterback and running back, intercepted the option pitch and returned it 15 yards for the final score.

Jaitt had eight unassisted tackles, three assists and deflected a pass.

Stat watch: In Friday’s 40-14 loss to Agoura, Nordhoff quarterback Rob Fournier passed for 150 yards to set the school record for most passing yards in a season. Fournier has 1,344 to surpass the previous mark of Jeremy Anthony in 1988.

Trevor Matheson had three catches to set the school season reception record with 45. Matheson surpassed Steve Blundell’s mark of 43.

Victory at last: Simi Valley High’s losing streak in football is over--and none too soon for Dave Murphy, the embattled coach of the team.

Over the course of 17 losses in a row, Murphy had attempted to remain upbeat while his critics wondered aloud how much longer he could retain his post.

And of course, there were the snide remarks and jokes from the periphery. All that, he could handle.

“You put things in perspective,” he said. “You definitely look at yourself in the mirror and ask yourself, ‘Are you doing what’s right?’ And the answer was always, ‘Yes, you’re doing it right.’ ”

It was after a game earlier this season when Murphy began to feel the most heat.

He had arrived home to his family after another loss, when his 4-year-old daughter observed, “Boy, you guys never win. When are we gonna win, Dad?”

“That kinda hurt,” Murphy said.

Murphy is well aware that one victory in 18 attempts does not turn a program around, even if it happens to be a 21-3 decision over Royal, Simi Valley’s cross-town rival.

But it’s a small step. One for which Murphy is grateful.

“Believe me, over the past two years there have been many trying times,” he said. “It was a great test, and thank God it’s over.”

Bowl bound?: After defeating Santa Barbara City College, 34-10, last week, Moorpark (6-1, 5-1) will play its toughest Western State Conference Northern Division game to date when it plays host to Glendale (4-2-1, 3-1-1) at 1 p.m. Saturday.

Glendale won the WSC Bowl last year, and Moorpark is in the midst of its own dash for a bowl berth.

They may find the going a little more difficult against Moorpark, though. The Raiders lead the state in defense, allowing only 170.7 yards a game. After scoring four touchdowns against Santa Barbara, running back Freddie Bradley leads the state with 13.7 points a game.

Cross-country battle: Ventura and Glendale colleges are tied for first place in the men’s cross-country standings heading into Friday’s WSC championships at El Choro Regional Park in San Luis Obispo.

Glendale won the first mini-meet this season and Ventura won the second. Friday’s meet is worth 50 percent of the WSC team title. The meet begins at 3 p.m.

Psyched up: For two weeks before the Royal High girls’ volleyball team played Thousand Oaks, Highlander players read sports psychology material borrowed from the Cal State Northridge women’s team, ranked seventh in the NCAA Division II.

“We needed to establish that we could beat them,” Royal Coach Bob Ferguson said. “I think there was some doubt.”

Royal, which had lost to Thousand Oaks six consecutive times, fell behind, 14-6, in the first game but never never lost confidence and came back to upset previously undefeated Thousand Oaks, 19-17, 15-11, 15-7.

Jeff Riley and staff writers Tim Brown and Brendan Healey contributed to this notebook.