CANYON DOESN'T HAVE A QB CONTROVERSY.

Byline: GERRY GITTELSON Community Sports

With its football opener just three days away, Canyon High still hasn't decided on a a No. 1 quarterback.

That's not as bad as it sounds.

Senior Austin Civitaand junior Ben Longshore have done nothing to warrant a demotion, so the plan is to stick with both until one asserts himself.

An opening scrimmage Friday against Palmdale was supposed to provide an answer. Civita, a varsity backup last season, started and completed 7 of 8 passes, including a 39-yard touchdown. Longshore, who led the Cowboys' junior-varsity team to a 10-0 record last year, completed 8 of 11 with a touchdown, and he ran for another score.

``I think they're both awesome, and they'll both have success,'' coach Harry Welch said. ``I'm just going to play week by week, and if one emerges or one has the hot hand, we'll stay with him.''

Both probably would have had more success had Palmdale not committed seven pass-interference penalties.

--A broken ankle suffered Saturday by former Canyon All-American Nate Longshore, Ben's brother, during his first start at Cal was an eye-opener for Welch, who decided after taking to Nate the following day that it's best to have two capable quarterbacks.

Because Civita is a senior with an extra year of experience, he figures to play at least the first series Friday night at Leuzinger of Lawndale (3-7 in 2004).

``I haven't decided, but if the season started tomorrow, then, yes, Austin Civita would start (but Longshore would play, too),'' Welch said. ``He's been here an extra year. He's earned his rights.''

Welch, who's in the fifth year of his second stint at Canyon and has been coaching for 30 years, said he's never before rotated quarterbacks.

--Saugus and host Alemany of Mission Hills played to a scoreless tie during their football scrimmage Friday, and Saugus coach Jason Bornn was OK with that.

``I don't know how everyone else did their scrimmages, but we started at the 20-yard line and had 10 plays, so it wasn't easy (to score),'' Bornn said. ``We had some big plays, some nice receptions and some long runs. And I was really impressed with our defense. We did some good things defensively.''

Bornn said the first goal during Friday's opener against Blair of Pasadena (5-5 in 2004) at Pasadena City College is to not allow a touchdown on the opening kickoff - a jinx that has plagued Saugus the past two season openers.

--Former Hart High football standout Ryan Wolfe, who set a school single- season record with 93 receptions last season, accepted a UNLV scholarship but is spending the fall semester as a part-time student at College of the Canyons because he's ``grayshirting.'' Wolfe was caught in a numbers crunch, so the plan is for him to arrive in Las Vegas in January as a true freshman.

--Karl Zierhut, a former Valencia High offensive coordinator, who was the head football coach at Simi Valley High the past three seasons, has a major rebuilding task after accepting the head job at Capital Christian of Sacramento - which went 0-10 last year.

``Actually, things are going great,'' Zierhut said. ``Yes, the team went 0-10 last year, (but) they had an off-campus coach who just wasn't able to be around to help the kids, and the players weren't too dedicated. I'm just really thrilled to be here. It's a small school, with just 167 male students, but we've got some big kids and a sophomore quarterback named Kramer Hagen who's going to be really good. He reminds me of a young Nate Longshore.''

This isn't Zierhut's first reclamation project. At Simi Valley, he inherited a team that had lost 22 in a row prior to his arrival. After a one-win first season in 2002, Zierhut went 6-4 in his second year and 4-6 last season.

--Former Valencia football standout Chris Wright, one of the Foothill Legue's top receivers and defensive backs, no longer is playing football - but he says he misses the game.

``I'm at College of the Canyons, and coach (Chuck) Lyon wanted me to come try out for the team,'' Wright said. ``It was a tough choice, but I'm just going to concentrate on school.''

--Someone should construct a Foothill League Web site. Wouldn't it be convenient to check schedules, rosters and results - and read archived all-league lists, etc. - with a click of the mouse? Just a thought.