Victory Speaks Volumes

Antelope Valley High Coach Brent Newcomb isn’t one for hype.

It is especially significant then that he called Antelope Valley’s 27-7 intersectional victory over Sylmar last Friday one of the sweetest in the 20 years he’s been head coach.

The victory culminated a tumultuous week for the Antelopes, who were picked as low as fourth in a preseason Golden League poll.

First, leading rusher Bruce Molock was declared unavailable because of a sprained ankle he suffered the previous week. Then, starting cornerback Chasio Gaines was sidelined with turf toe.

As the week wore on, the news got progressively worse.

Sophomore running back Ron Miller, a key player on special teams and a good bet to fill Molock’s cleats against Sylmar, was dismissed from the team for disciplinary reasons.

Junior lineman Kyle Taylor, the team’s defensive player of the week the previous game, was told by doctors that his career was likely over because of an unspecified heart condition.

“You always hear that through adversity comes good things,” said Newcomb, whose Antelopes (2-1) host powerhouse Dominguez on Friday. “Hopefully that will be the case with us.”

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The 2 1/2-hour bus ride home from Big Bear should have been easy for Village Christian after the Crusaders handed the Bears a 19-13 loss last Saturday. It wasn’t.

Driving down highway 330, a steep mountain road, the brakes on the team bus overheated. The driver pulled the bus to the side of the road and the team had to wait an hour for the brakes to cool off.

“There was smoke coming up the back of the bus and the kids were yelling ‘We’re going to die!’ ” Village Christian Coach Mike Plaisance said. “It was like [the movie] Speed III. I kept looking for Sandra Bullock.”

Big Bear has lost only two home games in three years--two of them to Village Christian.

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Defensive end John Harrison has been Hart’s most valuable player. He has seven sacks and last week he scored the winning touchdown against Westlake as a running back.

“He’s done everything,” Hart defensive coordinator Rick Herrington said. “We’ve played him all over the defensive line. He probably knows the defensive and offensive plays better than anyone.”