The High Schools : League Title Helps Obscure Flags for Hernandez

The score undoubtedly helped his postgame demeanor, but San Fernando Coach Tom Hernandez viewed last week’s flag-filled game against Granada Hills as humorous. San Fernando, despite 185 yards in penalties, beat the Highlanders, 24-3, and earned a share of the North Valley League title.

Toward the end of the game, as several second-string players took the field, there were more flags visible than at a Caltrans roadblock. “It got kind of funny after awhile,” Hernandez said. “I mean, it was a joke. The refs wouldn’t let the game end.”

On the Tigers’ second-to-last possession, they drove to the Granada Hills 5-yard line. Then the, uh, fun really started.

“We had seven penalties in nine plays or something ridiculous like that,” Hernandez said. “We’d get to the 5, and they’d move us back to the 20. We’d score, and they’d put us back on the 15. We’d gain 15 yards and they’d move us back again.”

And Hernandez’s loudest guffaw? After the Granada Hills defense finally held on the fateful series, Tiger kicker Andrew Munoz nailed a field goal from 37 yards. This time, however, Granada Hills was called for a personal foul.

“It would have given us a first down,” Hernandez chuckled. “But Munoz declined it. He must have wanted his points or something. But hell, at that point, we just wanted the thing to end.”

It hurts more when I laugh: Cleveland Coach Steve Landress was in a good mood this week, despite his team’s come-from-ahead, 25-22, loss to Taft in a game that decided the West Valley League championship last Thursday.

After all, there are always others who are worse off.

“I feel pretty good, considering,” he said of Cleveland’s fourth-quarter collapse, in which they surrendered two touchdowns in the final three minutes. “I guess I feel better than Tom Landry does.”

He admitted that the team and coaching staff “could have been fitted for tight collars.”

Landress said coaching has at the very least prepared him for life’s ups and downs.

“All coaches are at least a little suicidal and sadistic,” he said. “We all start out sane, but after a few games and dealing with administrators, officials and parents, you start to get a different attitude.”

Final signing: When Cleveland forward Lucious Harris committed to Cal State Long Beach this week, he became the sixth Valley-area basketball player to sign a letter of intent during the 1-week early-signing period that ended Wednesday. Harris became the third Cleveland player to sign, joining Adonis Jordan (Kansas) and Warren Harrell (New Mexico State).

Also signing were Oakwood center Mitchell Butler (UCLA), El Camino Real swingman Brent Lofton (Utah State), Notre Dame forward Kenny Hicks (Stanford) and Taft guard Dedan Thomas (Nevada-Las Vegas).

Zero for 2: Twice Chaminade Coach Rich Lawson has gone up against Notre Dame. Twice his team has gone down to defeat.

“Once again, we go over there and give them the ball,” said Lawson, Chaminade’s second-year coach who played and served as an assistant coach at Notre Dame.

Chaminade lost 3 fumbles and 2 interceptions. In last year’s 24-10 loss, the Eagles had 7 turnovers.

“I kept telling the kids, ‘You can’t give up, you can’t give up,’ ” Lawson said. “We almost had ‘em.”

Lawson added a sarcastic note about Notre Dame, which left the Division I Del Rey League to join Chaminade in the Division VII San Fernando Valley League, saying, “The only consoling fact is that it’s good to see my alma mater finally win a league championship.”

Down but not out: The curtain mercifully closed on Simi Valley’s season with last week’s 12-7 loss to South Gate that saddled the Pioneers with an 0-10 record. Not surprisingly, fifth-year Coach Dave Murphy is already pointing toward 1989.

Fifteen starters will return and Murphy may have finally found the correct position for junior Eric Hale, who started the season at tight end and moved to quarterback at mid-season. Murphy moved Hale to tailback against South Gate and he rushed for 94 yards in 9 carries.

Staff writers Tim Brown, Steve Elling, John Lynch and Vince Kowalick contributed to this notebook.