Van Nuys Loses Key Running Back; Birmingham Hopes Tackle Can Return

The most promising running back at Van Nuys High is out for the season, and Birmingham, which lost two of its best linemen over the summer, is hoping one will return in time for its opener against University on Sept. 22.

Van Nuys’ Harold Boudreaux, a 6-foot-1, 180-pound running back, will have to sit out his junior year because of grades. Wolves Coach Kenji Mochizuki said that he was “expecting quite a bit from (Boudreaux) this year.” Boudreaux, who also would have started at linebacker, missed the first three games last year but finished with more than 300 yards rushing.

Birmingham’s Ivor Lising, a 5-foot-8, 180-pound senior tackle, is awaiting grades for two summer classes in which he enrolled to raise his grade-point average to the required 2.0, according to Coach Chick Epstein.

“He’s been trying to locate his grades,” Epstein said. “He is doing all the legwork, but in the meantime he has missed two weeks of practice.”

Epstein said Lising is “extremely quick” and the team’s best defensive lineman.

While Epstein is uncertain whether Lising will be back, he is sure to miss veteran lineman Robert Tarasewicz, a two-year starter at offensive tackle. Tarasewicz, a 6-1, 240-pound senior, moved to Seattle with his family.