Brown’s Scores Help Taft Wallop Reseda : High school football: He gains 171 yards as Starr tries to teach Regents, Schaeffer a lesson, 39-13.

WOODLAND HILLS —  For Taft High football Coach Troy Starr, it was payback for something he has long heard about.

Paced by Jerry Brown’s 171-yard rushing performance and a couple of spectacular touchdowns, the Toreadors followed Starr’s instructions to run up the score as Taft pounded Reseda, 39-13, Friday night in a Northwest Valley Conference game.

Play was suspended for 28 minutes early in the second quarter when Taft’s Antwan Simpson was injured while making a tackle on a kickoff return. Simpson, who did not move during his 15-minute wait for paramedics, was taken by ambulance to the hospital, but was released in his father’s care and back on the sidelines late in the third quarter.

Meanwhile, there was a rout in progress. Jon Relles’ 29-yard field goal gave Taft a 31-7 lead at the end of the third quarter, but it wasn’t enough for Starr, who wanted to teach Reseda Coach Joel Schaeffer a lesson in revenge.

Taft (5-0, 2-0 in conference play) continued to throw bombs in the fourth quarter and after one finally hit its target for a 70-yard scoring play with 39 seconds remaining, the Toreadors went for a two-point conversion. Still, that wasn’t enough.

A successful onside kick produced another Taft possession with 15 seconds remaining. After throwing an incomplete pass, reserve quarterback Dayon Shaw knelt down to end it.

Make no mistake. Starr, in his second year at Taft, knew exactly what he was doing.

“I think for years in the (Division) 2-A, (Schaeffer) did that to a lot of people,” Starr said. “What goes around comes around. And plus, we work harder than they do.”

Schaeffer was visibly angered by Starr’s game plan, but refused to talk about it.

“You saw what just happened; what did you think?” Schaeffer said. “I would not lower myself to comment on it. I have no comment.”

For just more than a quarter, the teams proved why they were the only two undefeated City Section schools in the area.

Brown’s first carry produced a nifty 26-yard touchdown run for a 7-0 lead.

Reseda (4-1, 1-1) answered on its third possession when Tyrone Francis (seven carries, 82 yards) turned a corner and raced 48 yards for a touchdown to tie it, 7-7.

On the first play from scrimmage following Francis’ score, Brown found a huge opening on the right side and raced 80 yards for his second touchdown in three carries.

After Reseda was forced to punt, it took Taft just three plays to score. From Taft’s 22, Mike Ferguson hit Andre DeSaussure on a post pattern at midfield and without breaking stride, DeSaussure tucked the pass away and raced into the end zone for a 21-7 Taft lead.

Ferguson’s eight-yard scoring pass to Donte Daley and Relles’ field goal in the third quarter gave the Toreadors a 31-7 lead.