Edwards Was in the Zone for Burbank

Jason Edwards doesn’t want to be considered the hero, but he deserves the lion’s share of credit for getting the monkey, er gorilla, off the back of the Burbank High football team.

Edwards, a 5-8, 155-pound senior cornerback, had a school-record four interceptions last week as the Bulldogs ended an 18-game losing streak with an 18-10 victory over Santa Paula.

“I couldn’t have done it without the rest of my team,” Edwards said. “We were flushing their quarterback out of the pocket. The coach told me just to sit in my zone. I did and the ball just came right to me.”

The significance of Edwards’ contributions to the victory was not lost on his teammates.

Said Coach Gary Willison, “In the end, the kids were all bowing to him.”

Homecoming: When El Camino Real plays host to San Fernando next week, the Conquistadores will be playing on their home field for the first time in 15 years.

El Camino Real’s field does not have lights, so the Conquistadores have been playing home games at night at a variety of nearby high schools. According to former Coach Mike Maio, El Camino Real has not played a varsity game on campus since 1981.

After installation of a new scoreboard, administrators moved games against San Fernando and Cleveland (homecoming) on Nov. 8 to El Camino Real.

The San Fernando game will be played in the afternoon, but the Cleveland game will bring another milestone. Administrators approved the installation of temporary lights, giving the Conquistadores the first home night game in school history.

Double Trouble: Granada Hills tailback Frank Rosario, the Highlanders’ leading rusher, will be held out of Friday’s game against Taft.

Rosario was ejected for multiple unsportsmanlike conduct penalties in last week’s game against Chatsworth.

Under City Section rules, Rosario must sit out an additional game.

No Passing Fancy: Kennedy Coach Bob Francola is accustomed to the pleas of assistant Fred Grimes to throw the ball more. The run-oriented coach always resisted, until last season.

Francola opened up the offense, letting quarterback Calvin Zinck throw downfield in a lopsided playoff victory over Franklin.

This year, it’s gotten even more extreme. In a 36-8 victory over Birmingham, Zinck threw 37 passes, the most Kennedy has thrown in 11 years.

“It’s gotta be some kind of record for us,” Francola said. “I’m not used to this.”

Starr System: Even though Taft has allowed 33 points and 554 yards in four games--both the best among area City Section teams--Coach Troy Starr refuses to take credit.

Most of the time he’s not even coaching. When the Toreador defensive unit takes the field during games, Starr is often by himself 20 yards down the sideline. Assistant Frank Grossman calls most of the alignments.

“There’s been times where I meddle too much in the defense,” Starr said. “I’m just letting Frank handle it this year.”

In Memory: The Channel Islands boys’ and girls’ cross-country teams have dedicated the remainder of the season to former teammate Felix McClain, who died of a heart aneurysm last month.

McClain, a senior and three-year veteran, didn’t run this season because he was diagnosed with a heart irregularity during a Marine physical last summer.

“It’s really sad,” Channel Islands Coach Tom Kiddie said. “He was very well-liked by the kids on the team.”

Sudden Impact:It took Bree Akesson of Kennedy all of one race to stamp herself as a City Section title contender in cross-country.

The senior transfer from Alemany won the Division II race of the Kenny Staub Invitational on Saturday in her first race for the Golden Cougars. Her time of 19 minutes 22 seconds over the three-mile course at Crescenta Valley Park was more than two minutes faster than the 21:36 clocking of Birmingham sophomore Tiffany Burgess, who placed 15th in the Division I race.

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Football Top 10

Rankings of Valley-area high schools by sportswriters of The Times

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RK LW Team League) REC. 1 1 Westlake (Marmonte) 4-0 2 3 Taft (Northwest Valley) 4-0 3 7 Oxnard (Channel) 3-0-1 4 2 Antelope Valley (Golden) 3-1 5 5 Thousand Oaks (Marmonte) 3-0-1 6 6 Hart (Foothill) 2-2 7 NR Rio Mesa (Channel) 4-0 8 9 Notre Dame (Mission) 3-1 9 4 Newbury Park (Marmonte) 3-1 10 8 Palmdale (Golden) 3-1

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