THE HIGH SCHOOLS : Thousand Oaks Must Develop Passing Game Before Playoffs

A take-no-prisoners defense and a solid running game might be enough to beat the likes of most Marmonte League teams, but when Division II playoff time arrives Thousand Oaks will need some semblance of a passing attack.

In the past three weeks against league opponents, junior quarterback Scott Peterson has completed three of 18 passes for 41 yards and one touchdown. Thousand Oaks (5-0-1 overall, 3-0 in league play), the No. 2-ranked team in the Valley by The Times, has won the three games by a combined score of 79-26.

Coach Bob Richards says that it will not be long before the passing game comes together. Overall, Peterson is 20 of 56 for 313 yards with two interceptions and one touchdown.

“I just think that we’re a little out of sync,” Richards said. “I see it in practice and we’re very, very close.

“I really feel that with the scheme and the way we’re executing we’re almost there. That is an objective of ours and is a high priority.”

Piling up yardage: Technically, Kennedy running back Ontiwaun Carter has gained 796 yards in five games, an average of 159.2 yards a game.

Because of a thigh bruise, however, Carter played only one quarter in Kennedy’s 24-7 loss to Taft two weeks ago, gaining 46 yards in seven carries.

Last week, in a 21-6 defeat of Canoga Park, Carter skipped the first quarter, yet finished with 178 yards in 20 carries--for a total of 224 yards in 27 carries over his past four quarters.

Factoring in the time missed because of injury, Carter is averaging 49.8 yards a quarter.

Folk wisdom: Reseda Coach Joel Schaeffer is a man who has been around high school football a long time--this is his 14th year at Reseda--and one who has seen much transpire between the sidelines.

So, was he shaken by his team’s 40-13 loss at the hands of unbeaten Grant? Did he toss and turn all night, pondering Reseda’s worst defensive effort since 1977?

“Naw, I’m a big boy,” Schaeffer said. “Remember, you shake the same hands going down as you do coming up.”

Injuries: Burbank linebacker Mark Kyle is out for two weeks because of a sprained right knee and shin. Tailback Nelson Randin, who missed two weeks because of an ankle injury, has returned.

El Camino Real running back Lejon Carr, who is second on the team in rushing with 243 yards and has scored three touchdowns, will miss at least one game after suffering a dislocated shoulder in Friday’s 14-0 win over Chatsworth.

El Camino Real’s backup quarterback, Evan Howland, will be out indefinitely after breaking a bone in his right hand during practice last week. Howland, a sophomore, completed three of seven passes for 49 yards in limited action.

Bon voyage: Christian Ballard, a cross-country runner and swimmer at Birmingham, missed the Braves’ Mid-Valley League opener against Van Nuys last week because, of all things, a weeklong trip to Disney World and a cruise to the Bahamas that he had won courtesy of radio station KIIS-FM.

The senior, whose car was spotted in Burbank sporting a KIIS-FM bumper sticker, was given a choice of three trip dates and chose the week of Oct. 9 because the other dates conflicted with the City Section cross-country championships and swimming practice.

“It’s sort of like the chance of a lifetime,” Ballard said. “I’m sure (Coach Scott King) didn’t want me to go, but I’m sure he didn’t want me to stay. He’s a nice guy.”

Although Birmingham, the defending Valley Pac-8 Conference champion, defeated the Wolves, 16-43, King is unsure about penalizing Ballard for missing competition and practices.

“I don’t know if I should discipline him or not,” King said. “The only reason I let him go was that he promised to run around the boat.”

Mike Glaze and staff writers Tim Brown, Steve Elling, Vince Kowalick and Brian Murphy contributed to this notebook.