MACK'S TAILBACK KNACK : SMALL IMPORT FROM HOUSTON BOLSTERS WOLVES' CHANCES.Byline: Bill Schlotter Daily News Staff Writer When Van Nuys High School Van Nuys High School (VNHS) established in 1914, is a high school in the Van Nuys area of Los Angeles, California, belonging to the Los Angeles Unified School District: District 2. running back Carlos Mack left Houston to move to California three years ago, one of the things he brought with him was a Lone Star Lone Star (or Lonestar) may refer to:
It took Van Nuys coaches a while to see the fire burning below the surface in the small, calm and quiet Mack. But since being made the feature back in the Wolves' running offense following the second game this season, the 5-foot-8, 155-pound senior has shown the Valley Pac-8 Conference that Texas tailbacks are tough as they come - no matter what their size. Mack's 1,355 yards rushing and 19 TDs are a major reason Van Nuys is headed to the Coliseum on Friday night to play Wilson for the City 3-A championship. Van Nuys (9-4) struggled in its first two games, losing 28-7 to Palisades Palisades, cliffs along the west bank of the Hudson River, NE N.J. and SE N.Y., extending from N of Jersey City, N.J., to the vicinity of Piermont, N.Y., with a general altitude of from 350 ft to 550 ft (107–168 m). and getting blitzed blitzed adj. Slang Drunk or intoxicated. 50-21 by Culver City Culver City, city (1990 pop. 38,793), Los Angeles co., S Calif., a residential suburb of Los Angeles; inc. 1917. It is a center of the U.S. motion-picture industry, whose roots in the city date to c.1915. Its chief manufactures are rubber products and computers. . ``It just wasn't coming together,'' head coach Mark Pomerantz said. To make matters worse, starting tailback Raul Torres was hurt in the Culver City game. But just when it seemed the Wolves' season was spiraling downward in a hurry, the coaches moved Mack from wide receiver to running back. And they started to win. Mack scored two of the Wolves' three TDs in a 20-12 upset of Montclair Prep. He followed that with 100 yards in a 26-20 victory over Poly and 90 yards in a 21-0 loss to Sylmar. Then he really hit his stride, running for 146 yards in a win over Reseda and 184 yards and three scores in a 50-20 win over Monroe. And he's been rolling up big yards ever since, his latest outburst for 178 yards and two TDs in the Wolves' 3-A semifinal victory over University last Friday. Mack ran for more than 1,000 yards his freshman season at Houston's Cy-Fair High School Cy-Fair High School is a secondary school located in Cypress, which is an unincorporated place in Harris County, Texas, near Houston. The school is part of the Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District. , earning a promotion from junior varsity junior varsity n. Abbr. JV A high-school or college team that competes in interschool sports on the level below varsity. Noun 1. to varsity at the end of the season. But his father was transferred to Southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, midway through his freshman year. And after staying behind with a grandmother to finish ninth grade in Texas, Mack transferred to Van Nuys for his sophomore season. He played running back for the Wolves JVs that first season but broke his left arm in the fifth game and spent the rest of the season on the sidelines On the sidelines An investor who decides not to invest due to market uncertainty. on the sidelines Of or relating to investors who, having assessed the market, have decided to avoid committing their funds. . Mack joined the Van Nuys varsity last season and was a starting cornerback on defense. But the Wolves were set at running back with 200-pound Division I prospect John McPherson For other persons named John McPherson, see John McPherson (disambiguation). John McPherson (June 19 1868 - July 31 1926) was a Scottish footballer who played for Kilmarnock and Rangers. Born in Kilmarnock, McPherson started his career with his local side Kilmarnock F. . And the coaches never really considered using Mack in the backfield. Even this year, with McPherson graduated, Pomerantz and his staff felt Mack's offensive contributions would come as a wide receiver. Then Torres went down and the Wolves turned to Mack in desperation. Pomerantz said he always knew Mack had ability. But he worried about his size and durability. ``We knew he could run,'' Pomerantz said. ``We just didn't know if he could take the pounding. We play in the black-and-blue division, the Valley Pac-8. We play an in-your-face kind of running game - and Carlos is a little bitty guy.'' A little bitty guy with a lot of courage, good moves and great speed. ``He has a lot of heart,'' Pomerantz said. ``He runs between the tackles where the big boys go - and he likes it.'' Mack says he uses his size to advantage. ``When I go up the middle, I try to hide behind my blocker, look for an opening and then run,'' he said. ``I don't think anybody can catch me if I get in the open.'' He got in the open last week on a play from the Wolves 6 and turned it into a 94-yard touchdown run. ``I squeezed through a crease and it was just me and their free safety,'' Mack said. ``I just outran out·ran v. Past tense of outrun. him to the goal line.'' Despite his success on offense, Mack is being recruited as a cornerback by San Diego San Diego (săn dēā`gō), city (1990 pop. 1,110,549), seat of San Diego co., S Calif., on San Diego Bay; inc. 1850. San Diego includes the unincorporated communities of La Jolla and Spring Valley. Coronado is across the bay. State. ``Actually, I like playing defense a little bit better than offense,'' Mack said. But when Wolves fans look back on the 1996 season, it will likely be Mack's play at tailback that will command their attention. ``As the season wore on, he pretty much carried about 90 percent of the load,'' Pomerantz said. The Wolves are hoping he can carry that weight one victory further Friday night. CAPTION(S): Photo Photo: (color) Carlos Mack was a defensive back, but Van Nuys' coaches have discovered he can take the pounding at tailback. Tom Mendoza / Daily News |
|
||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion