RUNNING COMPETITION LANCASTER BACKS, BEST FRIENDS PUSH EACH OTHER.Byline: Ramona Shelburne Ramona Shelburne is an American sports journalist currently writing for the Los Angeles Daily News. Shelburne was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. She attended El Camino Real High School in Woodland Hills, California where she was a class valedictorian. Staff Writer To an outside observer, the on-field chatter Chatter See: Whipsawed between Lancaster High running backs Tony Jackson
Anthony (Antonio) Jackson, best known as Tony Jackson and Josh Gaines might seem a little hostile. They jaw at each other, chastise chas·tise tr.v. chas·tised, chas·tis·ing, chas·tis·es 1. To punish, as by beating. See Synonyms at punish. 2. To criticize severely; rebuke. 3. Archaic To purify. each other after bad plays and compare performances. ``We're always competing with each other,'' Jackson said. ``During the game, after the game, during practice. I'll be like, `I've got more yards than you' or `I'll get back at you.' We push each other.'' It's all in good fun. ``It's a healthy competition,'' Gaines said. ``It makes us both better.'' It's also making their team better. This was supposed to be a rebuilding year for Lancaster after the graduation of most of its offensive starters, but Jackson and Gaines are putting that theory to rest quickly. Lancaster gave defending Southern Section Div. VI champion Orange Lutheran a close game two weeks ago, losing 27-14, then crushed Pasadena 39-2 last week. Jackson ran for 125 yards on 15 carries against Orange Lutheran. Gaines had 112 yards on six carries against Pasadena. For Gaines and Jackson, both first-year starters on offense, this kind of success is hardly surprising - both say it is overdue OVERDUE. A bill, note, bond or other contract, for the payment of money at a particular day, when not paid upon the day, is overdue. 2. The indorsement of a note or bill overdue, is equivalent to drawing a new bill payable at sight. 2 Conn. 419; 18 Pick. . They have been on the varsity team In the United States and Canada and UK, varsity sports teams are the principal athletic teams representing a college, university, or high school or other secondary school. Such teams compete against the principal athletic teams at other colleges/universities, or in the case of since the end of their sophomore seasons but had to wait behind talented upperclassmen to get in the starting backfield. ``We had to wait our turn and pay our dues until our senior years,'' Gaines said. ``I started at corner last year, but I missed getting the ball. I think that's why I'm so hungry for it this year.'' Jackson started at safety last season and received limited carries while backing up starter Domenic Cornelius. ``We waited patiently,'' Jackson said. ``It was hard, but every time I got in, I tried to prove I could start. It didn't go that way, so I just tried to do it on defense. ``This year, the sky's the limit. We can be as big as we want to be, as hard as we want to work.'' Part of the reason Jackson and Gaines have such good chemistry in the backfield is that they've been pushing each since they were 6 years old. They played together through Pop Warner Pop Warner refers to
At school, they're inseparable in·sep·a·ra·ble adj. 1. Impossible to separate or part: inseparable pieces of rock. 2. Very closely associated; constant: inseparable companions. . They walk around campus together, have lunch together and meet up after school to hang out. Even their mothers are close friends. ``Me and Josh have a way of communicating,'' Jackson said. ``We're almost like cousins, or something.'' Ramona Shelburne, (818) 713-3617 ramona.shelburne(at)dailynews.com GAME OF THE WEEK CHATSWORTH (1-0) at LANCASTER (1-1) 7 p.m. Player to watch: James Walker James Walker may refer to a number of persons:
Walker had a great game in Chatsworth's season-opening 56-20 victory over Washington of Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. , carrying eight times for 42 yards and a touchdown and catching five passes for 97 yards and two touchdowns. Key stat stat adv. With no delay. adj. Immediate. STAT Stat! Clinical medicine adverb Fast, quickly, immediately, schnell, vite Lab medicine noun : 458. Rushing yardage yard·age 1 n. 1. An amount or length measured in yards. 2. Cloth sold by the yard. Noun 1. by Lancaster in its first two games. Lancaster has had one of the top ground games in the area since coach Jeff Cortez installed his wing-T offense three seasons ago. Why Chatsworth will win: The Golden League has mostly rushing teams, and Lancaster doesn't see many quarterbacks as good as junior Mike Moustakas Mike Moustakas (born September 11, 1988 at Chatsworth, California) is a Shortstop[1] who was drafted by the Kansas City Royals of Major League Baseball 2nd overall in the 2007 Major League Baseball Draft. , who was 15 of 22 for 256 yards and four touchdowns last week. Why Lancaster will win: The Eagles are strong on both sides of the ball, and senior RBs Tony Jackson (194 yards, 2 TDs) and Josh Gaines (125 yards, 2 TDs) have more than filled in for graduated RBs Roosevelt Monroe-Truitt and Domenic Cornelius. Junior QB Tim Ennis can't run like graduated QB Bobby Thomas, but he's got a stronger arm and has put up solid statistics (26 of 45, 275 yards, 2 TDs). Outlook: An interesting matchup. Both programs have enjoyed a resurgence re·sur·gence n. 1. A continuing after interruption; a renewal. 2. A restoration to use, acceptance, activity, or vigor; a revival. in the past three years and are hoping for a breakout year. With two potent offenses, the game ought to come down to defense, and Lancaster, which held defending Southern Section Div. VI champ Orange Lutheran to 27 points two weeks ago, has the edge in that area. TODAY'S GAMES 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 (0-1) at BAKERSFIELD (1-0) 7 p.m. Player to watch: Tyler Kay, QB, Bakersfield. Athletic junior QB rushed eight times for 81 yards, including a 61-yard touchdown run, in the Drillers' 28-26 victory last week over Stockdale of Bakersfield. Key stat: 19-10. Bakersfield's all-time record against Antelope Valley. Why Antelope Valley will win: This is one of the best rivalries in the state, and A.V. always gets up for this game. The 'Lopes were lethargic last week against Oakland Tech, but that won't be a problem this week. Why Bakersfield will win: The Drillers are a more balanced offensive team than Antelope Valley, and Bakersfield is coming off an emotional win over rival Stockdale. Outlook: Bakersfield's Griffith Field is expected to be packed tonight, and the atmosphere will be electric. Both teams have exciting, game-breaking players. Bakersfield won 20-10 last year. GAREY of Pomona (0-1) at LITTLEROCK (1-1) 7 p.m. Player to watch: Eddie Priciado, LB, Garey. In a game that will be dominated by the running games, Priciado, who had 11 tackles in a 13-7 loss to Montclair last week, will factor big. Key stat: 16. Losing streak ended by Littlerock last week in a 9-7 victory over Boron boron (bōr`ŏn) [New Gr. from borax], chemical element; symbol B; at. no. 5; at. wt. 10.81; m.p. about 2,300°C;; sublimation point about 2,550°C;; sp. gr. 2.3 at 25°C;; valence +3. . Why Garey will win: Garey beat Littlerock 34-31 last season and returns most of its key players from a year ago. Why Littlerock will win: The Lobos are on an emotional high after last week's win and follow it with a game at home, where they always are tough to beat. Garey graduated standout QB Osaar Rasshan, who passed for 242 yards and two touchdowns in last year's game. Outlook: Littlerock has a good shot in this game against a Garey team that looked anemic anemic pertaining to anemia. on offense last week, gaining just 148 yards of total offense. KENNEDY of Granada Hills (1-0) at PALMDALE (0-1) 7 p.m. Player to watch: Rodney Trimm, QB, Palmdale Trimm, the leader of Palmdale's offense, acknowledged he needs a better performance than last week's 7-for-17, 94-yard effort in a 28-6 loss to Crespi of Encino. Key stat: 4. Wins by Kennedy in its past five games. The Golden Cougars opened last season 0-7 but have gone 4-1 since. Why Kennedy will win: Kennedy has improved greatly over last season. Defense is critical to beating Palmdale, and Kennedy's best players are defenders: tackle Patrick Shaw (6-foot-1, 240 pounds), tackle Cedric Reeves (6-3, 265), end Greg Guerrero (6-1, 205), end Cory Boyer-Hueling (6-0, 240), middle linebacker Efrain Lopez (6-1, 220) and cornerback Phillip Fajardo (5-11, 170). Why Palmdale will win: Palmdale rarely has two bad games in a row and ought to be motivated to prove last week's loss to Crespi was a fluke fluke, parasitic flatworm of the trematoda class, related to the tapeworm. Instead of the cilia, external sense organs, and epidermis of the free-living flatworms, adult flukes have sucking disks with which they cling to their hosts and an external cuticle that . Outlook: Palmdale beat Kennedy 3-0 last year and 58-0 two years ago. QUARTZ HILL (1-0) at BEVERLY HILLS Beverly Hills, city (1990 pop. 31,971), Los Angeles co., S Calif., completely surrounded by the city of Los Angeles; inc. 1914. The largely residential city is home to many motion-picture and television personalities. (0-0-1) 7 p.m. Player to watch: Spencer Paysinger, WR, Beverly Hills. The Normans' 6-foot-3, 205-pound wide receiver is tough to handle. Paysinger caught seven passes for 125 yards last week. Key stat: 6. Seconds left on the clock when Quartz Hill QB Calvin Culver cul·ver n. A dove or pigeon. [Middle English, from Old English culufre, from Vulgar Latin *columbra, from Latin columbula, diminutive of columba, dove.] connected on a 42-yard touchdown in a 21-20 victory last week over Rosamond. Why Quartz Hill will win: Culver acknowledged his team might have taken Rosamond lightly last week, which is reason enough to think the Rebels won't make that mistake again. Why Beverly Hills will win: The Normans have a sophisticated passing game with Paysinger and 6-3 junior QB Meyer Linter lint·er n. 1. The short fibers that cling to cottonseeds after the first ginning. Often used in the plural. 2. A machine that removes these short fibers from the seeds of cotton. , who completed 21 of 34 passes for 234 yards and two touchdowns last week. Outlook: Quartz Hill beat Beverly Hills 24-6 last year and will be favored again this year. Beverly Hills' passing game is good, but the Normans gained only 68 rushing yards last week. SIMI VALLEY Simi Valley (sē`mē, sĭm`ē), city (1990 pop. 100,217), Ventura co., SW Calif. in an oil, fruit, and farm region; laid out 1887, inc. 1969. (1-0) at HIGHLAND (1-1) 7 p.m. Player to watch: Micah Littlejohn, RB, Highland. Littlejohn is averaging 8.7 yards a carry in two games this season (34 carries, 277 yards) and is expected to be a 1,000-yard rusher in Highland's run-oriented offense. Key stat: 0. Second-half points scored by Simi Valley in last season's 25-20 victory. Why Simi Valley will win: Senior RB Devin Kelly (22 carries, 159 yards, 3 TDs) and WR Lorne Bell (4 receptions, 73 yards, 1 TD) are tough to contain. Why Highland will win: Highland makes no secret it relies on its rushing game. In two games, the Bulldogs have attempted only three passes, completing just one. There's a reason for that: Highland can run the ball. The Bulldogs have rushed for 474 yards in two games, best in the Antelope Valley. Outlook: Simi Valley beat visiting Highland 25-20 last year. ROSAMOND (0-1) at BORON (0-1) 7 p.m. Outlook: Both small schools are coming off narrow Week 1 losses to Golden League teams. Rosamond, led by running back Spencer Rodney (76 rushing yards) and linebacker Eric Leon (12 tackles), put a scare in Quartz Hill in a 21-20 loss. Boron was led by running back Brad Kastopoulos (127 rushing yards) in a 9-7 loss to Littlerock. Leon and the Rosamond defense's ability to contain Kastopoulos figures to be a key for the Roadrunners. BRENTWOOD (1-0) at MOJAVE (0-1) 7 p.m. Outlook: Mojave looks to get back on track after a 28-8 Week 1 loss to Village Christian of Sun Valley, in which the Mustangs were led by running back Leroy Hill Leroy Hill, Jr. (born September 14, 1982 in Haddock, Georgia) is an American football linebacker for the Seattle Seahawks of the NFL. He was selected with the 34th pick of the third round of the 2005 NFL Draft out of Clemson University. . Brentwood's Kevin Yamazaki gained 206 all-purpose yards in a 43-6 Week 1 victory over Animo of Inglewood. CAPTION(S): photo, 4 boxes Photo: Dominic Blood, left, Rodney Trimm, center, and Tyreace House will lead Palmdale tonight against Kennedy of Granada Hills. The Falcons defeated Kennedy the past two seasons. Hans Gutknecht/Staff Photographer Box: (1) GAME OF THE WEEK (see text) (2) TODAY'S GAMES (see text) (3) FIRST AND 10 (4) INSIDE THE NUMBERS |
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