North Hollywood Bids to Shun Distractions : Prep football: Despite melee at school, Huskies try to stay focused on today’s game against Grant.

In the wake of this week’s melee and race-related violence at North Hollywood High, members of the football team say they have stuck together in an effort to avoid confrontations with the student body.

The Huskies have tried to remain focused on today’s game against host Grant despite the daily distractions of police, violence and chaos on campus.

Practice was canceled Monday, and 10 players were missing from practice Tuesday--opting to remain at home, away from any more potential violence. It was practice as usual Wednesday and Thursday.

“(Monday) was kind of odd because I never got to meet with them,” Coach Gary Gray said. “I really never saw the players until (Tuesday).”

Race relations on the field differ from those on campus, according to Martin Castellanos, a team captain and three-year starter. Castellanos said a group of Hispanic students had tried to harass some of his black teammates, but that he and other team members quelled the threats by sticking together.

“We try to protect them,” Castellanos said.

There have been no racial problems on the team, players and coaches said. Relationships among players have remained the same, according to Daniel Fuselier.

“We joke around a lot,” said the senior safety, who is black. “We all try to stay together and look out for each other. Every now and then we make little racial comments, but nobody takes it offensively. We know we’re just playing around.”

Students weren’t playing around Monday, however, when Los Angeles police officers at the scene estimated that as many as 700 people were involved in a lunchtime brawl.

The school’s principal, Catherine Lum, estimated the crowd at 200. Gray and basketball Coach Steve Miller said that even that number is an exaggeration.

Gray and Miller said they have never witnessed a racially motivated fight among North Hollywood students on campus despite claims that racial and ethnic tension has been simmering on campus since the start of the school year.

This is Miller’s eighth year at North Hollywood, Gray’s fourth.

If there is ethnic tension among students, it has not shown itself in their athletic programs, the coaches said.

“We told the kids that if they wanted to sit down and talk about it, we would,” Gray said. “But we’ve never had any problems with that on the team. They mix pretty well--like all athletic teams--it’s just like a family.”

Amid the shortened practice week and distractions on campus, the football team (3-4, 0-3 in Mid-Valley League play) needs a victory in today’s league game to remain in the playoff hunt.

“At first we were thinking that Grant was a day up on us,” Fuselier said.

“But these practices have been the best we’ve had since school began. Everybody is working hard and hitting hard.”