*** "Sleeper?" ****
FOOTBALL PREVIEWS
(Week 3)
BURBANK vs SIMI VALLEY
WHEN: 7 p.m. Thursday.
WHERE: Memorial Field.
RECORDS: The Bulldogs and Pioneers are 1-1.
LAST WEEK: Burbank lost to Chaminade, 46-6; Simi Valley defeated Oxnard Pacifica, 20-14.
OUTLOOK: The Bulldogs will be trying to rebound after struggling in their loss last week. Coach Greg Sobiech has been tinkering with the quarterback position, playing seniors Robert Linda (147 yards passing last week) and Keith Hoefel (137 yards) in the first two games. The two were constantly running for their lives against Chaminade, as the Bulldog offensive line had its problems protecting its quarterback. Burbank senior running back Marcus Hood has 26 caries for 170 yards and two touchdowns. Simi Valley, which plays in the Marmonte League, can run and pass, with senior quarterback Brandon Fricke and junior running back Langston Jackson leading the way. The Pioneers' only loss was a 14-13 setback to Buena.
SOMETHING INTERESTING: The Bulldog defense has been led by junior linebacker Korey Turk who has a team-leading two interceptions and 17 tackles — second best on the squad.
Press Prediction:The Deuce's pick'em winning percentage through 42 games is 69 percent
Simi Valley 35, Burbank 21:
Simi Valley RB Langston Jackson is right on the brink of breaking out for a big 100-yard rushing game. Overlooked is that Simi Valley has allowed only 14 points in each of its two games. By Derry Eads September 21, 2006
Final Results
Simi Valley 20, Burbank 10
-Burbank's Robert Linda kicked a 52-yard field goal with 7:12 remaining in the first half.
-Burbank's Keith Hoefel threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to Linda in the third quarter.
-Simi Valley's Brandon Bednorski scored on a 2-yard touchdown run.
-Simi Valley's Sergei Danielian kicked field goals of 21 and 42 yards in the fourth quarter.
-Langston Jackson scored on a 28-yard touchdown run as time expired.
Thursdays Stars
By Star staff September 22, 2006
-- WILLIAM FRANKLIN, Oxnard: Rushes for 248 yards and three touchdowns to spark a victory over Buena.
-- THOMAS McCORMICK, Royal: Catches eight passes for 209 yards and one TD, and adds one interception in a win over Ventura.
-- LANGSTON JACKSON, Simi Valley: Rushes for 231 yards and one touchdown in a win over Burbank.
-- BLAKE KREUTZ, Ventura: Throws for 189 yards and two scores in a loss to Royal.
-- KYLE SHORTEN, Oak Park: Rushes for three TDs on runs of 37, 32 and 1 yards to lead a victory over Newbury Park.
FOOTBALL PREVIEWS
(Week 3)
BURBANK vs SIMI VALLEY
WHEN: 7 p.m. Thursday.
WHERE: Memorial Field.
RECORDS: The Bulldogs and Pioneers are 1-1.
LAST WEEK: Burbank lost to Chaminade, 46-6; Simi Valley defeated Oxnard Pacifica, 20-14.
OUTLOOK: The Bulldogs will be trying to rebound after struggling in their loss last week. Coach Greg Sobiech has been tinkering with the quarterback position, playing seniors Robert Linda (147 yards passing last week) and Keith Hoefel (137 yards) in the first two games. The two were constantly running for their lives against Chaminade, as the Bulldog offensive line had its problems protecting its quarterback. Burbank senior running back Marcus Hood has 26 caries for 170 yards and two touchdowns. Simi Valley, which plays in the Marmonte League, can run and pass, with senior quarterback Brandon Fricke and junior running back Langston Jackson leading the way. The Pioneers' only loss was a 14-13 setback to Buena.
SOMETHING INTERESTING: The Bulldog defense has been led by junior linebacker Korey Turk who has a team-leading two interceptions and 17 tackles — second best on the squad.
Press Prediction:The Deuce's pick'em winning percentage through 42 games is 69 percent
Simi Valley 35, Burbank 21:
Simi Valley RB Langston Jackson is right on the brink of breaking out for a big 100-yard rushing game. Overlooked is that Simi Valley has allowed only 14 points in each of its two games. By Derry Eads September 21, 2006
Final Results
Simi Valley 20, Burbank 10
-Burbank's Robert Linda kicked a 52-yard field goal with 7:12 remaining in the first half.
-Burbank's Keith Hoefel threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to Linda in the third quarter.
-Simi Valley's Brandon Bednorski scored on a 2-yard touchdown run.
-Simi Valley's Sergei Danielian kicked field goals of 21 and 42 yards in the fourth quarter.
-Langston Jackson scored on a 28-yard touchdown run as time expired.
Thursdays Stars
By Star staff September 22, 2006
-- WILLIAM FRANKLIN, Oxnard: Rushes for 248 yards and three touchdowns to spark a victory over Buena.
-- THOMAS McCORMICK, Royal: Catches eight passes for 209 yards and one TD, and adds one interception in a win over Ventura.
-- LANGSTON JACKSON, Simi Valley: Rushes for 231 yards and one touchdown in a win over Burbank.
-- BLAKE KREUTZ, Ventura: Throws for 189 yards and two scores in a loss to Royal.
-- KYLE SHORTEN, Oak Park: Rushes for three TDs on runs of 37, 32 and 1 yards to lead a victory over Newbury Park.
Simi Valley, Jackson take action in second half
By David Lassen, dlassen@VenturaCountyStar.com September 22, 2006
The Simi Valley High football team's best attribute was resilience. But its greatest weapon was Langston Jackson. Jackson rushed for 231 yards and a clinching touchdown as time expired as Simi Valley beat Burbank 20-10 Thursday night at Burroughs High, overcoming a 10-point deficit and the loss of its starting quarterback. Simi Valley, aided by three takeaways by its defense, did all its scoring in the final 17:01 to improve to 2-1. Burbank is 1-2.
"We battled — that's all I can say," said Simi Valley coach Todd Borowski. "We were real conservative in the second half. Luckily, we've got No. 4 on our team." That would be Jackson, the 6-foot-1, 205-pound junior who had 32 carries and picked up the offensive load after quarterback Brandon Fricke went out. Fricke, leveled by a hit midway through the second quarter, was held out as a precautionary measure because of a possible concussion.
"Everyone got in a groove," said Jackson, who had 136 yards in the second half, "and we got it done."
Simi Valley's early struggles included two turnovers, as well as the loss of Fricke. "At halftime," said Jackson, "we were talking (about) the season we had last year, and the same things were happening. So we just tried to pick it up and not have that happen." Jackson had a 72-yard run to set up Simi Valley's first score, a 2-yard run by Brandon Bednorski with 5:01 left in the third quarter. He capped the scoring with a 28-yard touchdown as the Pioneers looked to run out the clock to protect their lead.
"We couldn't take a knee," said Borowski, "because there were five seconds left, and they'd get the ball back with time for a play. We've run that play a million times, and it was very successful. Our kids blocked it very well."
Simi Valley had tied the game at 10 on a 21-yard field goal by Sergei Danielian with 10:04 remaining, and took the lead on his 42-yard kick with 3:32 left. "He came up big in the end," said Borowski. "Very nice for him. He needs that." The go-ahead kick came after Adam Hernandez intercepted a pass by Burbank's Keith Hoefel with 5:34 remaining — the third straight Burbank possession ending in a turnover. Danielian's first field goal also followed an interception.
The turnovers were "way crucial," said Borowski. "We weren't doing very well up front tonight," he said, "and our defense kept us in the entire game. And then Langston, he's a kid that every time we give it to him, he can go."
Burbank led 3-0 at the half thanks to a school-record 52-yard field goal by Robert Linda with 7:10 left in the second quarter. Burbank had originally lined up to punt from the Simi Valley 35, but called time out and reconsidered. The Bulldogs extended the lead to 10-0 with 5:48 left in the third quarter, on a 25-yard pass from Hoefel to Linda.
The Pioneers finished with 305 yards to Burbank's 214. Jackson more than offset the performance of Burbank running back Marcus Hood, who carried 20 times for 129 yards.
By David Lassen, dlassen@VenturaCountyStar.com September 22, 2006
The Simi Valley High football team's best attribute was resilience. But its greatest weapon was Langston Jackson. Jackson rushed for 231 yards and a clinching touchdown as time expired as Simi Valley beat Burbank 20-10 Thursday night at Burroughs High, overcoming a 10-point deficit and the loss of its starting quarterback. Simi Valley, aided by three takeaways by its defense, did all its scoring in the final 17:01 to improve to 2-1. Burbank is 1-2.
"We battled — that's all I can say," said Simi Valley coach Todd Borowski. "We were real conservative in the second half. Luckily, we've got No. 4 on our team." That would be Jackson, the 6-foot-1, 205-pound junior who had 32 carries and picked up the offensive load after quarterback Brandon Fricke went out. Fricke, leveled by a hit midway through the second quarter, was held out as a precautionary measure because of a possible concussion.
"Everyone got in a groove," said Jackson, who had 136 yards in the second half, "and we got it done."
Simi Valley's early struggles included two turnovers, as well as the loss of Fricke. "At halftime," said Jackson, "we were talking (about) the season we had last year, and the same things were happening. So we just tried to pick it up and not have that happen." Jackson had a 72-yard run to set up Simi Valley's first score, a 2-yard run by Brandon Bednorski with 5:01 left in the third quarter. He capped the scoring with a 28-yard touchdown as the Pioneers looked to run out the clock to protect their lead.
"We couldn't take a knee," said Borowski, "because there were five seconds left, and they'd get the ball back with time for a play. We've run that play a million times, and it was very successful. Our kids blocked it very well."Simi Valley had tied the game at 10 on a 21-yard field goal by Sergei Danielian with 10:04 remaining, and took the lead on his 42-yard kick with 3:32 left. "He came up big in the end," said Borowski. "Very nice for him. He needs that." The go-ahead kick came after Adam Hernandez intercepted a pass by Burbank's Keith Hoefel with 5:34 remaining — the third straight Burbank possession ending in a turnover. Danielian's first field goal also followed an interception.
The turnovers were "way crucial," said Borowski. "We weren't doing very well up front tonight," he said, "and our defense kept us in the entire game. And then Langston, he's a kid that every time we give it to him, he can go."Burbank led 3-0 at the half thanks to a school-record 52-yard field goal by Robert Linda with 7:10 left in the second quarter. Burbank had originally lined up to punt from the Simi Valley 35, but called time out and reconsidered. The Bulldogs extended the lead to 10-0 with 5:48 left in the third quarter, on a 25-yard pass from Hoefel to Linda.
The Pioneers finished with 305 yards to Burbank's 214. Jackson more than offset the performance of Burbank running back Marcus Hood, who carried 20 times for 129 yards.
