Newbury Park to Run Offense Unfettered

Newbury Park High attempted a two-point conversion after every touchdown in Friday’s 38-27 win over Buena and converted four of five.

Don’t expect Newbury Park to kick an extra point soon, or Coach George Hurley to call off the dogs. “We’re done kicking,” Hurley said. “We have some high-percentage plays that go for two points. It’s just a matter of getting eight points instead of seven.”

Hurley said the Panthers will go for two after every touchdown. Moreover, junior quarterback Keith Smith, who has passed for 859 yards and nine touchdowns, will come out only if injured, and the Panthers will continue to throw until the final gun.

“That’s the offense we run,” Hurley said. “We have to do what we practice to do, and we certainly are not going to practice being three touchdowns ahead.”

But what about pay-back?

“We’ve talked about how we’re going to handle this,” Hurley said. “And we’re going to do what we’re going to do. I know what goes around comes around and I’ve been whupped bad. Somewhere down the road, (opposing coaches will) remember it.”

SHORTSIGHTED

Surveying the field at practice Tuesday afternoon, Santa Clara Coach Tom O’Brien noticed he was missing some players--13 to be exact.

While two are injured, the others missed the session for reasons not pertaining to football.

“We’ve got one guy going to traffic court, others who have somebody to visit, others who are doing family things,” O’Brien said. “I just can’t believe all this happened on one day.”

The situation was about the last thing the Saints’ coach wanted, especially after a 35-0 nonleague loss to Rio Mesa last Friday dropped the team’s record to 1-2.

O’Brien, however, is trying to keep his remaining players upbeat.

“It would be real easy to get upset about the situation, but I tell the (assistant) coaches that we need to keep positive for the kids who are here,” O’Brien said. “We have to stay focused for these kids because they are the ones who are going to play.”

RUSHING STREAK

Every season since Sylmar High Coach Jeff Engilman took over five years ago, the Spartans have produced a 1,000-yard rusher.

Former standouts Jerome Casey (1987-89) and Tobaise Brookins (‘90-91) made the most of running out of the I formation.

Engilman’s offense remains virtually intact, but this season he has three capable backs, each of whom rushed for 100-plus yards and two touchdowns in a 55-0 victory over El Camino Real last week: Tyrone Crenshaw (14 carries, 159 yards), Ibn Bilal (seven carries, 115 yards) and Gabriel Rodriguez (10 carries, 113 yards).

Will Engilman keep the streak alive? “Oh, I think we will,” he said. “Crenshaw is already on a pretty nice clip.”

Crenshaw, a junior who played sparingly behind Brookins last season, has 294 yards in 29 carries.

HAPPY, COACH?

After throwing five interceptions in his first game as St. Genevieve’s varsity quarterback, Alex Muller was instructed by Coach Richard Fong to avoid putting the ball up for grabs instead of taking a sack.

Muller seems to have learned his lesson well.

He was sacked 12 times against Serra last week.

MAKING AMENDS

After his truancy caused the biggest ruckus since that Ferris Bueller guy took a day off, Tarik Smith wanted to set things right with his coaches and teammates.

Moreover, the Oak Park standout senior running back--benched last week because he skipped class--was eager to display the form that has made him one of the top recruits in the Southland.

Mission accomplished.

The 5-foot-11, 186-pound Smith gained 225 yards in 24 carries and scored three touchdowns in leading the undefeated Eagles to a 21-7 win over L.A. Baptist.

“He was extremely eager to get into the game,” Coach Dick Billingsley said. “By the way he practiced, I knew he was intent on getting back on the right track. He made it clear he wanted the ball on every play.”

Smith, who had 80 yards in 15 carries in the Eagles’ opening win over Murphy, gained 198 yards in the first half and scored on runs of 35, five and 87 yards.

AROUND THE GLOBE

When Chatsworth quarterback David Muir spreads the ball around, he really covers the map.

Muir has passed for 542 yards to lead City Section quarterbacks in the Valley, but his targets could make up an All-World team.

Tailback Nestor Davila, who has rushed for a team-high 267 yards and caught six passes, was born in Nicaragua. Fullback Rozheh Nahapetian, who has a rushing and receiving touchdown, was born in Armenia. Receiver Danny Batsalkin, who ranks first on the team in receiving yardage, was born in the former Soviet Union.

The three have played a prominent role in making Chatsworth a bona fide contender for the City Section 3-A Division championship after losing to Crenshaw in the final last fall.

And Muir? He hails from Kansas City, Mo.

THE NAME GAME

We get De-lirious.

Included on the Taft roster are Dion Gaston, Dion Patton, Dayon Shaw and Deshon Polk, and the four are more than a little active when it comes to game time.

Last week, wide receiver Dayon (Shaw) threw a 34-yard scoring pass to fellow receiver Dion (Gaston), running back Dion (Patton) rushed for touchdowns of 14 and 30 yards, and running back Deshon (Polk) carried twice for 27 yards and intercepted a pass.

HE’S EVERYWHERE

In Glendale’s second game, Jaiya Figueras caught two passes for touchdowns--they were thrown by La Canada quarterback Matt Perrigue. Glendale Coach Don Shoemaker must have liked the look of that, because last week Figueras played wide receiver.

In his first catch in his first game as wide receiver, Figueras took a short pass from quarterback Ramon Jose and turned it into a 50-yard touchdown.

It is that speed and those instincts that make Figueras a threat at several positions. He started the season as an outside linebacker and tailback, but Shawn Cole was doing so well at tailback that it didn’t make sense to have Figueras playing there too. Figueras finished his debut at receiver with five catches for 127 yards.

Now, Shoemaker is thinking of using him at tight end and safety too.

HEY, WHAT ABOUT US?

Viewed as a stepchild to its explosive offense, the Hart defense is striking back--at opponents.

The defense has done as good a job keeping opponents out of the end zone as the offense has getting into it. Through three games, the Indians have given up 12 points. Hart allowed an average of 25 points a game in the same span last year.

In Friday’s 38-0 victory over Westlake, the Indians had five sacks and two interceptions. With the offense rolling up the usual Hart numbers (102 points), Coach Mike Herrington has many reasons to be pleased.

“I’m real happy with how we’ve been playing and with the defense especially,” said Herrington, whose team is ranked No. 1 in The Times’ regional poll. “I think the defensive guys were tired of taking a back seat to the offense.

“I think they wanted to let people see what they can do this year.”

Herrington credits his brother, Rick Herrington--who coaches the defense--with creating a powerful unit. “(Rick) does a great job preparing them,” he said. “This is one of the better defenses we’ve had, but we’ll need to see how they play over the whole season and in the playoffs before we can say if it’s the best ever.”

OOPS

Cecilo James of Kilpatrick knows a little more about the rules of football than he did a week ago.

James was preparing to punt from his end zone last week against Village Christian when he stepped over the back line. When he received the snap in the end zone, a safety was called. It seems Kilpatrick Coach Glenn Bell had neglected to tell James that you can’t leave the field and re-enter once the ball is snapped.

“That was (poor) coaching,” Bell said. “We never anticipated that scenario. We should have covered it, but you assume the kids know it.”

A Los Angeles County youth correctional facility, Kilpatrick regularly uses players who have not played organized football.

CRACK IN THE LOGIC

For those who were surprised to hear that Crespi running back Torie Lee had sustained a broken finger in the team’s game against Canyon two weeks ago, so was Lee.

Lee, who said he experienced minor pain in his right index finger during the game but was not sidelined, rushed for 134 yards and three touchdowns. Furthermore, he practiced last Monday and Tuesday.

On Wednesday, however, while he was horsing around with friends, the bone snapped. The break is at the base of the index finger. At first, it was thought that Lee might be able to tape the index and middle fingers together, but the break was severe enough that doctors advised against it.

Lee, a three-year starter who rushed for 281 yards and five touchdowns in his first two games, will be re-examined this week but is not expected to play in Friday’s nonleague game against rival Notre Dame.

MODEL STUDENT

Lineman Max Kim of Viewpoint High is that rare eight-man football player who has generated interest from a college football team--a Division I team, no less. Washington State sent Kim a letter last summer, requested game film of him and invited him to attend the Cougar-USC game Oct. 24.

The attention is even more unlikely considering that Kim, a 6-1, 245-pound senior, suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee last October. His recovery was rapid, though. He began to run three months after the surgery--performed four days after he was injured--and was mobile enough to earn All-Heritage League honors last spring in volleyball.

Kim, anchoring the offensive and defensive lines, has helped the Patriots to win their first three games.

But Kim discouraged his coach, Steve Sherman, from pursuing college recruiters and is uninterested in Washington State. He wants to attend Wheaton College in Illinois and perhaps study architecture or art.

“It’s not my goal to use football to get me ahead in the world,” he said.

Still, attention from a Pacific 10 Conference team? “I don’t even think about it,” he said. “It’s just football.”

Staff writers Kennedy Cosgrove, Steve Elling, Jeff Fletcher, Vince Kowalick, Paige A. Leech and Jason H. Reid contributed to this notebook.