All-Star Quarterbacks Set for Aerial Assault

No one has to convince coaches George Hurley of Newbury Park High and Jim Bonds of Alemany to pass the football. An ideal series for them would be a completion on every down.

With that in mind, expect plenty of passes tonight in the Valley Youth Conference East-West All-Star Classic. Kickoff is 7 p.m. at Cal State Northridge.

Bonds, coach of the East team, will turn loose All-American quarterback Kyle Boller of Hart, who passed for 4,851 yards and 59 touchdowns last season.

Hurley, coach of the West, has two-time All-Ventura County quarterback Nick Czernek of Newbury Park, who passed for 2,959 yards and 27 touchdowns as a senior. The West also boasts quarterback Tim Bird of Simi Valley.

Hurley predicts a final score of 49-42. Of course, the defenses might have a say in that.

“We want to make it a fun offensive shootout,” Bonds said.

Boller, bound for California and scheduled to play in the Shrine All-Star Classic on June 26 at Cerritos College, has been the talk of East practices because of his powerful right arm.

East receivers have been learning to handle his bullet-like throws. George Wrighster of Sylmar, Kyle Cremarosa of Burroughs and Devin Montgomery of Alemany will be his primary targets.

For the West, Hurley won’t be afraid to mix in an occasional run, considering he has tailback Marquis Brignac, the 1998 City Section co-player of the year from Taft.

But with receivers Lawrence Wallace of Taft, Reggie Lee of Chatsworth and Peter Gunny of Granada Hills, the West’s passing attack appears in good hands.

Hurley said linebacker-fullback Joseph Looney of Reseda and lineman Ashcon Madjid of L.A. Baptist have made strong impressions in practice.

Bonds, a former quarterback at Hart and UCLA, hasn’t been shy about participating in practice. He suffered a cut to his chin that required nine stitches when he was struck by a helmet while practicing handoffs.

“That’s the hardest hit I’ve taken,” Bonds said.

Bonds said the 6-foot-4 Boller compares favorably with Troy Aikman, who was a teammate of Bonds’ for two years at UCLA.

Boller is using the game to get in shape when California faces Texas in the Shrine game.

Defensive backs for both teams figure to be busy.