Press Box Prattle

Take it from me, the worst way to begin a surf trip in Baja is by stumbling into a pit of hot coals. Not only will it bring a premature end to your coveted vacation, the fall will affect everything else in your daily life as well.

Goodbye sunshine, exercise, plastic bag-free showers, shaking hands and a bunch of money.

Hello pain, painkillers, gauze, misery, TV and online gambling.

Seriously, burns are a nightmare. I've developed a newfound compassion for burn victims and their caretakers- as well as my lovely fiancée for putting up with me. (I know, my heart has become soft, my hands callous, but oh well).

And the people at the Grossman Medical Group in Sherman Oaks- man, are they awesome. They dealt with my instantaneously sweaty, nearly-about-to-pass-out performances on multiple occasions. They do fine work.

After sitting around moping for too long, however, I knew I had to break free from the couch. Having missed the first three weeks of the high school football season- counting Week 0- I decided to attend a trio of games.

My agenda included a doubleheader last Thursday featuring Viewpoint vs. Villanova Prep, followed by Newbury Park at Oak Park. On Friday I went to the St. Bonaventure-Oaks Christian showdown at Larrabee Stadium. Here are a few observations:

Viewpoint earns historic win

Viewpoint head coach Patrick Marquez has done an unbelievable job with this program.

Two years ago, during their first season in 11-man football, the Patriots went 0-9 and allowed 45.2 points per game on defense. That year they lost to Villanova Prep 550. Last Thursday, the Patriots won for the first time on their new home field, trouncing Villanova Prep 49-13.

"This group of seniors we have here were all on the varsity team as freshmen, and they took their beatings," Marquez said. "They lost every game as sophomores. Now they're hungry, dedicated. We don't have many, but these guys truly understand teamwork and the importance of getting things done."

Viewpoint destroyed Villanova Prep in the running game. Jamie Wheeler-Silverman, Tucker Trainer, Harrison Bernsen, Michael Cameron and Aria Soroudi combined for 340 rushing yards on 37 attempts and five scores.

Bernsen also completed his only two passes, and both went for long touchdowns. Wideout Daniel Winters caught a 32-yard score and tight end Brian Esmond added a 43-yard bomb into the end zone.

What impressed me most about Viewpoint (3-0) was the team's defense.

The Patriots shut out their first two opponents and didn't allow Villanova Prep to score until 2:20 remained in the third quarter. That's 129 minutes and 20 seconds of scoreless ball to start the season. Amazing.

Joshua Alexander Leibovitch, George Tew, Ben Salzman and Jack Pfeiffer did an outstanding job playing on both the offensive and defensive lines.

"The win is what really matters," Salzman said. "But still, I thought our defense played excellent."

During his postgame speech, Marquez awarded game balls to Viewpoint headmaster Bob Dworkoski and Jim Ring, the man responsible for much of the field's funding.

"Those are the two guys who started this off and got this field going," Marquez said.

Cameron leads late

drive at Oak Park

I was going to write all about how there was something wrong with Newbury Park's passing attack, how it seemed to lack its normal timing and precision. That was until Panther quarterback Colby Cameron led his team on a 90-yard scoring drive in the waning minutes to beat Oak Park, 26-20.

While I still believe NPHS has work to do on offense- Cameron agreed with me on that one- the team is now 3-0. So, really, who cares what I think.

"I'm upset with myself a little," Cameron said. "I'm standing in the pocket trying to make throws, but it hasn't been easy. But it's going now; we're progressing every single game. The more we progress, the better we'll get."

The Muscarella brothers, Phillip and Vincent, deserve some props, too. Vincent had never played football prior to this season, yet each brother made a major contribution against Oak Park.

Vincent returned a kickoff 82 yards for a score in the third quarter, while Phillip caught the winning touchdown pass with 1:09 remaining in the game.

"To see my little brother score the winning touchdown, that's awesome, better than my touchdown," Vincent Muscarella said.

As for Oak Park (2-1), I wouldn't worry about them too much. The defense looks strong, and the offense can really move the football on the ground. My guess is that they'll give Oaks Christian a stiff challenge in the Tri-Valley League.

Scott runs free against

Oaks Christian

Darrell Scott and I used to have a nice relationship- I challenge you to find someone who wrote a feature story on him before I did. But after he transferred from Moorpark to St. Bonaventure, I ripped him a bit in a column, and my guess is he doesn't think I'm so cool anymore.

Whatever. The past is the past, can't change it now. Still, watching Scott run roughshod over the Oaks Christian defense for 239 yards and five touchdowns- and then seeing him transform himself into the greatest punter of alltime- reminded me just how amazing he can be. Truth is, I miss covering Darrell Scott.

Oaks Christian (2-1) may have lost the game to St. Bonaventure, 41-33, and its 48-game winning streak in the process, but they didn't lose anyone's respect after nearly rallying from a 34-7 deficit.

Quarterback Chris Potter is phenomenal, and wideout Chris Owusu is a playmaker. These Lions aren't the same as last year's crew, but they're still darn good.

Marc Tyler update

On my way out of Larrabee Stadium I stopped to chat with former Oaks Christian running back and current USC Trojan Marc Tyler.

Tyler, a red-shirt freshman, is still recovering from the broken leg he suffered last year. He recently started running with the scout team at practice.

"I'm kind of back," Tyler said. "My moves, my jukes, my cutting, it's not at 100 percent. I'm at like 85 or 90 percent, but I'm getting better every day."

During my time on the couch I watched Jimmy Clausen get battered at Notre Dame. Clausen and Tyler were best friends and roommates in high school, and they still talk on the phone several times per week. I asked Tyler about Clausen's mindset.

"Right now he's just trying to learn how to get better," Tyler said. "It's a big step going from high school to college and being the quarterback and having to run the show. I don't even know exactly how he feels, but I know he's been sore these past couple weeks."

Yeah, join the club, Jimmy. Contact Stephen Dorman at sdorman@theacorn.com.