Agoura High Defense to Get a Boost

Agoura High linebacker Wesley Rowell did not practice Monday, but Coach Charlie Wegher said he expects his team's leading tackler from last season to play Friday against Moorpark.

Rowell strained a ligament in his left foot during practice two weeks ago and missed the Marmonte League opener against Simi Valley.

Simi Valley rushed for 251 yards in its 41-35 win over Agoura, and not having Rowell on defense has led to some big rushing nights for opposing teams.

Michael Kay has made some big plays at middle linebacker in the past two games, coming up with an interception against Simi Valley in the third quarter.

"That's two interceptions in two weeks," Wegher said. "He saved a touchdown and kept us in the game. It's a new position for him. He's working hard at it."

Wegher said he plans on keeping Kay in the lineup when Rowell returns. Kay will move over to outside linebacker and Rowell will move back to his middle linebacker spot in Agoura's 4-3 scheme.

"We'll ease him into it," Wegher said about Rowell's return. But when asked if Rowell knows how to take anything easy, Wegher said, "I hope not."

Agoura receiver Stephan Yang had another big night. He caught four passes for 141 yards and two touchdowns against Simi Valley. His first touchdown catch was a 60-yard pass from Gerard Poutier that got Agoura on the scoreboard in the second quarter.

His second touchdown catch was a 73-yarder at the end of the third quarter that cut Simi Valley's lead to 28-21.

In the season opener against Ventura, Yang returned a kickoff 88 yards for a touchdown and caught five passes for 71 yards. Pretty good for a receiver who's fourth on the team's depth chart. But Wegher said Yang might want to enjoy his success in the past two games while he can.

"He was able to get open in some big areas," Wegher said. "We're going to play some defenses that are not going to give him that much room. "

The Agoura offense has scored 35 points in each of its first two games. Poutier has thrown for more than 300 yards in each of the those games.

But the team has given up 596 yards rushing in two games. Ventura rushed for 345 yards on opening night, and six Simi Valley running backs combined for 251 rushing yards.

Wegher said he would like to see some marked improvement from his defense, especially against the run. But he also wants to see some improvement on the offensive side of the ball.

"Offensively, I was happy," Wegher said. "We can get a little better. Against the run, we need to be a lot more disciplined, a lot more physical. We're working hard at it. We got a week better and are going to give Moorpark a run."

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