HIGH SCHOOL NOTEBOOK
Quartz Hill (2-5, 0-2) has not won a league game since 1995, when the seniors on the team this year were in eighth grade.
“It would be easy to lose your will,” said first-year Coach Pat Degnan. “But these guys haven’t folded their tents. They’re hungry and want to leave something for the underclassmen to build on.”
Quartz Hill, 0-16-1 during the streak, plays Palmdale (1-6, 0-2) on Friday night.
Running back Derrick Teal of Quartz Hill was scheduled to see a physician early this week and is questionable for the game.
Teal, a junior who rushed for 615 yards in Quartz Hill’s first six games, injured his knee last Friday in a 34-7 loss to Antelope Valley.
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Antelope Valley (3-4, 2-0), traditionally one of the region’s top rushing teams, is beginning to hit its stride.
The Antelopes have a herd of fast players, which inspired Coach Brent Newcomb to switch to the triple-option offense late last season.
Quarterback Demetre Booker rushed for 161 yards and a touchdown last week against Quartz Hill and leads the Antelopes with 557 yards rushing.
The week before, against a Lancaster defense intent on stuffing the option, Booker threw for five touchdowns to tie a school record.
“We’ve kind of jumped on his back and are willing to go as far as he takes us,” Newcomb said.
But Booker has received a lot of help.
Jon Molock, Jermaine Norman and Ron Miller have combined for more than 700 yards rushing and 11 touchdowns.
“We’re still learning the offense,” said Newcomb, whose team has won three consecutive games. “It’s team-oriented, involves a lot of timing and opponents usually don’t play anyone else who runs it, so they only have a few days to prepare some kind of Dick Tracy defense to stop it.”
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One foot and 200 pounds.
That’s the difference between Antelope Valley teammates Michael Graves and Travis Westberg.
Graves, a junior lineman, is 6 feet 3 inches, 324 pounds. Westberg, a senior receiver, is 5-3, 117.
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