GREAT EIGHTS; IT DOESN'T TAKE 11 MEN TO MAKE FOND MEMORIES.Byline: Gerry Gittelson Daily News Staff Writer Nothing much stays the same for 25 years. Except Faith Baptist and its pursuit of eight-man excellence. The Canoga Park institution, with fewer than 200 students, is the only area school that has played eight-man football Eight-man football is a type of American football, generally played by small high schools. Rules and formations vary greatly among states and even among different organizations, but the one constant is eight players from each team on the field at one time, as opposed to eleven-man the entire quarter-century of eight-man's existence. The Contenders have won three championships and have appeared in six finals. Eight-man evolved from six-man in 1974. Most of the programs that began that year have since graduated to 11-man, dropped football or disappeared. Montclair Prep and Flintridge Prep, two of the region's best programs, have gone on to succeed in 11-man. Others, such as now-defunct San Fernando Valley San Fernando Valley Valley, southern California, U.S. Northwest of central Los Angeles, the valley is bounded by the San Gabriel, Santa Susana, and Santa Monica mountains and the Simi Hills. Christian and Buckley (which briefly graduated to 11-man), no longer field football teams. Research and an informal poll of longtime coaches point to Montclair Prep as the region's best-ever eight-man program - the Mounties won 31 of 32 from 1975 to 1977. Montclair Prep, coached by George Giannini (who left in 1978 and returned in 1982), ran a counter-play offense that featured a series of talented running backs, including Jeff Knight, Ricky Robinson, Dave Robinson For the baseball player, see . Richard David Robinson (born May 3, 1941 in Mount Holly, New Jersey) is a former professional American Football player in the NFL for the Green Bay Packers and Washington Redskins. , Oscar Diggs, Willie Hurst and Mark Harper Mark James Harper (born 26 February 1970) British politician and accountant. He is the Conservative Member of Parliament for Forest of Dean. Early life and career . ``Those Montclair teams were loaded,'' said Mike Plaisance, then coach at Delphic League rival San Fernando Valley Christian and now at 11-man Village Christian. ``As far as speed and athletic ability were concerned, Montclair could play with anybody on any level in the San Fernando Valley.'' Current Faith Baptist coach Greg Weiss, a former All-CIF defensive back for the Contenders, faced Montclair Prep three times and took his licks. ``Montclair was just phenomenal,'' Weiss said. ``I remember when I was a sophomore, they mercy-beat us (45-point rule) with 11:27 left in the second quarter.'' Weiss and others suggest Hurst was the San Fernando San Fernando, city, Argentina San Fernando (săn fərnăn`dō), city (1991 pop. 144,761), Buenos Aires prov., E Argentina. It is a district administrative center in the Greater Buenos Aires area. Valley's best overall eight-man player of all time. Hurst, whose son Willie Jr. was an All-American running back at Dominguez High last year, was named MVP (Multimedia Video Processor) A high-speed DSP chip from Texas Instruments, introduced in 1994. Officially introduced as the TMS320C80, it combines RISC technology with the functionality of four DSPs on one chip. of the first-ever Daily News All-Star Football Game in 1978; the hard-running 5-foot-11, 185-pounder led all rushers with 120 yards - Hurst's only 11-man experience. ``Willie Hurst was the most intimidating football player I've ever seen, both offensively and defensively,'' Weiss said. ``If he would have played at Taft, he would have been the top running back in the city.'' Led by Hurst, Montclair Prep appeared in three straight finals, including a 51-45 triple-overtime championship loss to Rio Hondo Rio Hondo may refer to:
Giannini has fond memories: ``We had some great athletes. In my experience I think eight-man football and high school football in general was better in the '70s. The mentality of the kids has something to do with it, plus there are a lot of newer schools now. Back then there was more tradition.'' Antelope Valley This article is about the Los Angeles County region. For the census-designated place in Wyoming, see Antelope Valley-Crestview, Wyoming. The Antelope Valley Christian in 1995 was probably the only team that compared with prime-era Montclair Prep. The high-scoring Eagles won the section title 28-26 over Rio Hondo - AV Christian's only non-rout of the season - behind running backs Eric Mobley Eric Mobley (born February 1 1970 in the Bronx, New York) is an American former professional basketball player who was selected by the National Basketball Association's Milwaukee Bucks in the 1st round (18th overall) of the 1994 NBA Draft. and Darvell Bivens, quarterback Justin Mobley, wide receiver Aaron Ligons and all-purpose player Shannon Byrne; all five are now playing college football. ``We had terrific talent and a pretty big line,'' Antelope Valley Christian coach Mark Ligons said. Through the years, Faith Baptist has featured dominating teams, particularly during the early '90s, Judd Granzow era. As a junior, Granzow accounted for 53 touchdowns - 29 passing, 23 running - in 11 games. He led the Contenders to the 1991 eight-man championship as a freshman in 1991 and again in 1994. Granzow briefly played minor-league baseball in the Dodgers organization before returning to football at Moorpark College Moorpark College is a California-state funded community college located on a 134 acre (542,000 m²) property reclining on a hill in Moorpark, a town in Ventura County, California. last year. He is now a freshman linebacker at Tennessee. Flintridge Prep was consistently excellent, winning the 1989 championship (60-25 over Pasadena Poly) behind the division's co-Players of the Year, Chris Bisgaard (quarterback) and David Swayne (receiver). Buckley, San Fernando Valley Christian, Village Christian, Death Valley (now defunct), Campbell Hall Campbell Hall can refer to:
Nine local schools - Bethel Christian, Faith Baptist, First Lutheran, Grace Brethren, L.A. Lutheran, Viewpoint, Westmark, Trinity Christian and Santa Clarita Santa Clarita, city (1990 pop. 110,642), Los Angeles co., S Calif., suburb 30 mi (48 km) NW of downtown Los Angeles, on the Santa Clara River; inc. 1987. Situated in the Santa Clara valley and nearby canyons, Santa Clarita includes the former towns of Canyon Country, Christian - are playing eight-man this year. EIGHT-MAN FOOTBALL'S BEST-EVER LOCAL TEAMS School, Year Record 1. Montclair Prep, 1976 11-0 Won Southern Section championship 42-12 over undefeated Cuyama Valley. 2. Antelope Valley Christian, 1995 13-0 Behind Mobley brothers, averaged 48 points and beat Rio Hondo 28-26 in final. 3. Faith Baptist, 1991 12-0 Thrashed Hesperia Christian 52-24 in championship. 4. Flintridge Prep, 1989 11-1 Strong passing attack sparked 60-25 championship win over Pasadena Poly. 5. Montclair Prep, 1975 10-1 QB Steve McCravey injured hand early in 20-6 championship loss to powerful Ambassador. 6. Montclair Prep, 1977 10-1 Was invincible until 51-45 triple-OT loss to Rio Hondo. 7. Faith Baptist, 1994 11-1 Routed respected Brentwood 60-26 for title. 8. Faith Baptist, 1984 10-1 Sparked by all-purpose standout Alex Estrada, handled Templeton 47-30 in championship. 9. Buckley, 1974 7-3 Highlight was 40-24 win over Jeff Knight-led Montclair. 10. SF Valley Christian, 1979 8-2 Season ended with 45-40 playoff loss to Rio Hondo. - Gerry Gittelson ALL-TIME EIGHT-MAN FOOTBALL ALL-AREA TEAM OFFENSE WR Aaron Ligons, AV Christian (1995) State-record 34 TD catches RB Ricky Robinson, Montclair Prep (1975) Ran 10.1 100-yard dash RB Eric Mobley, AV Christian (1995) Consecutive 2,000-yard seasons RB Jeff Knight, Montclair Prep (1974) Regional single-game record 414 yards RB Brett Ales, Buckley (1981) 2,000-yard rusher; player of year TEChaka Miller, Flintridge Prep (1989) Big target a force on both sides QB Judd Granzow, Faith Baptist (1994) Two-time player of the year QB Chris Bisgaard, Flintridge Prep (1989) Led Rebels to section title OL Robert Tubbs, Faith Baptist (1984) Four-time All-Southern Section OL Tom Vaughn Father Tom Vaughn is an American Jazz pianist and Episcopalian Priest. Biographical Born Thomas Wade Vaughn (1937) in Benton, Kentucky, young Tom Vaughn began his music study around the age of eight. By age young Tom Vaughn had relocated to Michigan with his family. , Buckley (1980) Combined strength and technique OL Greg Hannon, Monclair Prep (1976) Domninated on both sides OL Al Rivers, Montclair Prep (1975) Agile 6-8, 245-pounder WR David Swayne, Flintridge Prep (1989) 63 catches, 20 TDs KR Alex Estrada, Faith Baptist (1991) Ran back eight TDs in '91 DEFENSE DL Lanton Kame kame (kām), low, steep, rounded hill or ridge of layered sand and gravel drift, developed from glacial deposits. Kames were probably formed by streams of melting glacial ice that deposited mud and sand along the ice front. , Death Valley (1976) One-armed athlete was far from handicapped DL Erik Aude, Bethel Christian (1997) More than 200 tackles in two years DL Mark Harper, Montclair Prep (1977) Also a terrific running back DL Travis Alkire, Bethel Christian (1997) Section most valuable player DL Dan Bailey, Buckley (1984) Relentless pass rusher LB Darvell Bivens, AV Christian (1995) Led eight-man football with 150 tackles LB Dave Robinson, Montclair Prep (1975) First eight-man player named All-Valley LB Willie Hurst, Montclair Prep (1977) Would have dominated at any level LB Matt Kessler, Buckley (1977) Big-time hitter DB Lyle Leong, Montclair Prep (1975) Terrific all-around athlete DB Tony Reed Tony Reed (born March 30, 1955) was an American college and professional football player. A star at Colorado, he played five professional seasons as a running back from 1977-1981. When he was in Kansas City he wore number 32. , Montclair Prep (1977) Packed a lot of punch DB Toi Cook Toi Fitzgerald Cook (born December 3, 1964 in Chicago, Illinois) is a former professional American football player who was selected by the New Orleans Saints in the eighth round of the 1987 NFL Draft. A 5'11", 188-lb. , Montclair Prep (1981) Went on to Stanford, NFL NFL abbr. National Football League NFL (US) n abbr (= National Football League) → Fußball-Nationalliga DB David Jones David Jones is a common name, particularly in Wales, and there have been several well-known individuals with this name. Variations include Dave Jones and Davy Jones. , Flintridge Prep (1995) Two-way star was player of year HONORABLE MENTION RB Tony Ashley, Montclair Prep (1981) K Shannon Byrne, AV Christian (1996) DB Steve Davis For other people with this name, see . Steve Davis, OBE, (born August 22, 1957, Plumstead, London[3]) is an English professional snooker (and to a lesser extent pool) player. He won 6 Snooker world titles during the 1980s. , Flintridge Prep (1976) LB Matt Fields, SFVC SFVC San Fernando Valley Chapter (1978) WR John Jackson John Jackson may refer to: Politics:
LB Robert Jordan, SFVC (1976) LB Kris Kershaw, AV Christian (1990) QB Steve McCravey, Montclair Prep (1976) LB Josh McGlothlin, Buckley (1975) OL John McKirahan, Montclair Prep (1978) K Brian Miranda, Village Christian (1980) QB Justin Mobley, Antelope Valley Christian (1995) DB K.J. Monroe, SFVC (1979) RB John Norcross, Buckley (1974) OLBob Roth, Village Christian (1976) DB Calvin Thomas, SFVC (1976) DB Tom Tobocco, Buckley (1974) OL Bob Roth, Village Christian (1976) RB James Vondra, Bethel Christian (1991) DB Greg Weiss, Faith Baptist (1976) LB Dan Weiss, Montclair Prep (1976) TE Larry Wells, Buckley (1977) CAPTION(S): Photo, 2 Boxes Photo: Flintridge Prep won a championship in 1989 behind QB Chris Bisgaard. Daily News File Photo Box: (1) EIGHT-MAN FOOTBALL'S BEST-EVER LOCAL TEAMS (See Text) (2) ALL-TIME EIGHT-MAN FOOTBALL ALL-AREA TEAM (See Text) |
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