Saturday, October 8th, 2011
The Paseo Club
27650 Dickason Drive, Santa Clarita, CA 91390

7pm – Midnight

Additional tickets available in advance for $20 from your team representative or $25 at the door.  Each ticket gets $300 in play money and one drink ticket.

VOTED OUR BEST EVENT OF THE YEAR

Casino night is not just an event, it is a fundraiser to raise the funds to keep our football program running!  Food & drinks will be available as well as Blackjack, Roulette and Craps tables for your enjoyment.  In addition there will also be a live and silent auction featuring many gift certificates & gifts from businesses all over the Santa Clarita Valley.

Please show your support by attending and enjoying a great evening full of fun.

Prizes and raffles:

• Live and Silent Auctions
• Chance to win up to $1,000 CASH and other cash prizes
• Weekend getaway to a cabin in Big Bear
• 1 night stay at the Omni Hotel in Los Angeles
• Footballs signed by the players of each division

By Eric Smith

PALMDALE —  Knight High of Palmdale head coach Cory Guilfoos didn’t hide.

When the merciful second half was finally over, he was the first on the field to greet Saugus’ players and coaches in the handshake line.

He had nothing but compliments for them, which was expected considering the outcome, a 43-32 Saugus win at Knight High on Friday night.

What looked like a Hawks rout in the opening two quarters turned sour quickly in the second half.

Leading 19-0 at the break, the Knights (1-2) allowed 43 unanswered points over the final two quarters. 

And they were beaten the old-fashioned way — with a smashmouth, grind-it-out ground attack from Saugus (3-1).

“We said all week that we had to stop the run,” Gulifoos said. “They just controlled us up front in the second half, we didn’t come after it.”

Knight’s defense was on the field for 38 plays in the second half. 

Saugus threw the ball just once, racking up an astounding 304 yards on the ground on the other 37 plays.

Saugus quarterback Jared Carbajal rushed for 179 yards and three scores on 23 carries while running back Tyler Watt accounted for 175 yards and three more scores on 25 carries.

Guilfoos said his squad dressed only 29 players, so fatigue might have been a factor. 

But the coach also noted that some of his players seemed to not want to make a play when it mattered.

“When they’re shoving the ball down the field, I had too many guys wanting to come out,” he said. “It’s gut-check time there.”

If Guilfoos was exasperated with his defense, he was more than pleased with the Hawks offense in the loss. The unit put on an aerial display, showcasing how potent the attack can be.

Junior quarterback Tony Dawson threw for 308 yards, a new Knight school record, and tossed three touchdowns.

Dawson’s main target was senior wide receiver Ronald Jones, who hauled in six catches for 180 yards and two scores. Toya Jackson also caught a score. 

Knight’s ground game wasn’t spectacular, but the unit did manage to rush for 85 yards on 24 carries. Corey Finister and Alonte Riley each added touchdowns on the ground. 

“I was very happy with our performance,” Guilfoos said. 

Saugus began double and even triple-teaming Jones in the second half, leaving him with just one catch. Guilfoos said the offense adjusted accordingly, something the Knight defense, however, failed to do as Saugus seemingly ran the same two plays down the field in the second half.

“You have a 19-point lead, the game is never over,” Guilfoos said. “There’s four quarters of football, it’s a good learning experience for us.”

It was a big success with 24 varsity and 16 JV teams from all over Southern California. There were teams from as far south as Long Beach and as far north as Santa Maria. On the opening day Saugus Varsity went 2-1 losing to Long Beach Poly while winning over Agoura and Sierra Canyon. This solid record put Saugus into the winner’s bracket on Saturday where they lost to Canyon and Valencia. The Saugus JV team won decisively over Crescenta Valley while losing 2 close games to Golden Valley and Oaks Christian. Golden Valley was the surprise team of the foothill league going 3-0 on day 1 while Canyon went the furthest of the Foothill League teams on Saturday’s playoffs, losing a close game to Thousand Oaks to end their bid at the championship. The finals found a rematch of last year, with Long Beach Poly facing Westlake, however the outcome was reversed with Long Beach Poly getting their sweet revenge.

This year Saugus added a Lineman challenge to the tournament giving the big guys a chance to compete. This brought a lot of excitement and sportsmanship to the tournament.  Saugus had 2 Varsity and 2 JV lineman teams competing. While Saugus didn’t win there were some exciting moments for them. The Varsity “A” team pulled off a 3^rd place finish in the Medicine Ball throw, while the Saugus “B” team was involved in one of the most exciting moments of the day competing head to head against power house Alemany in the Tire Flip relay.  They were able to edge them out by just inches when Dylan Petrovich blazed through the final leg of the race. You could have heard the noise from 2 blocks away as Saugus was not only cheered on by their own teammates but by other teams as well. It was a great display of sportsmanship. The Saugus JV “A” team finished 2^nd in the 40 yard dash and the shuttle, while the JV “B” team took a 2^nd in the Farmers Walk.

Some individual performances worth noting were the fast sled pull times of Dylan Petrovich and Wyatt Whittam, the long medicine ball throws of Adam Edwards, Wyatt Whittam, and Denley Rodriguez, the great farmer’s walk of Wyatt Whitman, and the fast 40 yard dash of Trevor Anthony. On the JV side Chad Deshamps blazed through the 40 and the Shuttle in great time while Jacob Montoya launched the medicine ball as far as some varsity lineman. The finals had Canyon out-pulling Valencia in a Tug O War on the Varsity side while Valencia out-pulled Canyon on the JV side. Judging by the buzz around the park from players, parents and coaches, I’m sure this event is around to stay.

There were well over 100 volunteers working extremely hard to make this event a success. The Saugus Gridiron Board would like to thank all the volunteers and sponsors. We couldn’t do it without everyone’s support.

Wayne Edwards

Passing Tournament Chairman

The final day of the 2011 Saugus Under the Lights Passing Tournament started with a surprise and ended with anything but.

After a stellar opening day of the tourney, Golden Valley entered Saturday as the No. 1 overall seed in a field that included all six Foothill League teams.

The league saw mixed results, while a dominant team from Long Beach Poly drew a lot of praise and won the overall championship with a win over 2010 CIF-Southern Section Northern Division finalist, Westlake.

The Grizzlies wound up 1-2 on the day and were eliminated by Valencia in semifinals of the consolation bracket.

“We came in with the No. 1 seed and a target on our back,” said Golden Valley head coach Andy Campbell. “That’s a spot they’ve never had in their lives. … As passing leagues go, it’s all opportunities. If you’re not losing, you’re not learning.”

Campbell also noted the developing leadership of senior-to-be quarterback Reid Soliman. After losing their first-round game, the Grizzlies beat Campbell Hall before falling to the Vikings.

Valencia went 2-2 on the day and advanced to the consolation finals, where it lost to Chaminade of West Hill.

Vikings head coach Larry Muir said he is looking for more consistency at this stage of his team’s development.

And with a lot of youth on the offensive side of the ball, the team just needs time to develop more chemistry.

“We need more games,” Muir said. “It helps our youth a lot.”

As quarterback Sean Murphy continues his development, Muir credited the play of wide receivers Christian Berney and Tedric Thompson for standout play offensively.

Canyon was missing a few receivers of its own.

Junior-to-be Drew Wolitarsky was out after injuring his shoulder on Friday, while Coley Apsay missed the day’s games due to prior commitments.

The Cowboys finished 1-1, losing to Thousand Oaks 28-24 in the second round.

However, Canyon did win the lineman competition, which included such events as a sled pull, 40-yard sprints and a tug-of-war.

“I think it all starts with the line,” said Cowboys head coach Rich Gutierrez, whose team beat the Vikings in the tug-of-war to secure first place. “When you see it perform, it really builds confidence. It’s good for the whole offensive chemistry.”

Hart also finished 1-1 on the day, while West Ranch was 1-2 with a lost to Chaminade in the consolation bracket.

Saugus finished 0-2, losing to Canyon and Valencia.

“I felt like we did not play to our level of experience,” said Centurions head coach Jason Bornn, who noted the standout play of linebacker Cody Taylor and wide receiver Curtis Kahovec. “I think the kids got a good lesson today about how they need to play at a level that allows you to be competitive.”

Long Beach Poly beat Westlake 36-10 in the championship game.

We will be having another T.G.I.Friday’s fundraiser and contest the first week of June so keep checking your email for the exciting details and your chance to WIN and earn money for your team!

COMING SOON…Don’t Miss It!!

GO Saugus Centurions!