Not Bad for Starters: Calabasas Wins Football Opener With New Coach

What a great football week for Calabasas.

Not only did Calabasas High win its opener Friday with a dramatic 16-12 victory over Granada Hills in coach Christian Pierce’s debut, but Viewpoint won its first game of the season, too, defeating Villanova 44-24 after a 28-point opening loss one week earlier.

This is Pierce’s first year as a varsity head coach, and the one thing he promised was that Calabasas was going to show toughness. Sure enough, the Coyotes opened in grand style by coming back from nine points down in the second half against a good Granada Hills team that is expected to challenge for a City Division II title.

An opening win at Calabasas would be a godsend for any coach considering the Coyotes have won a total of seven games over the past seven seasons.

“It was very special for us, the coaching staff, the whole team,” Pierce said. “I think we had some first-game jitters with too many turnovers and penalties in the first half, and I was mad and kind of let them have it at halftime. I told them they weren’t playing to their potential and that we weren’t coaching to our ability, either.”

It took awhile, but Calabasas came alive in the second half. Tyson Jones scored two touchdowns in the final 14 minutes, and when the final whistle blew, the Coyotes broke into massive brown and gold celebration.

Was it nice?

“Absolutely,” Pierce said.

“We didn’t do anything exotic, but Tyson Jones was an impressive power back, one of three good running backs we have,” Pierce said. “We’re not going to give it to one guy 30 times a game like I see a lot of these other teams do. That’s not what we’re about. But I will say this: I was impressed with the way the team overcame adversity. It was pretty rough.”

Pierce has cleaned house with the coaching staff, so it’s like a whole new team in every sense. He has retained just one assistant from last year in the wake of veteran coach Larry Edwards' resignation after going 3-7—actually a good year compared to preceding seasons.

Brandon Marin impressed at quarterback. He rushed for nearly 100 yards, and he completed a key 20-yard pass to Matt Guttridge on third-and-14 to keep the winning drive alive.

“He did well,” Pierce said. “All the rushing yards he had, those were designed plays, not scrambles.”

As for Viewpoint, the Patriots did a total turnaround after losing 34-6 at Mater Dei in Chula Vista in an early opener. This time, Viewpoint handily defeated a visiting Villanova team that had beaten the Patriots by 21 last year at their own place.

“It was a great day,” second-year coach Chris Adamson said.

Adam Markun, the top returning player from last year’s team after rushing for more than 1,000 yards as a sophomore, rushed for more than 100 yards, as did junior Dakota Williams, a junior transfer from Alemany. Both scored touchdowns, a blend of old and new.

Also impressive was quarterback Joey Verhaugh, a transfer from Crespi who passed for two touchdowns.

“Joey played really well,” Adamson said. “We were able to mix the run and pass really well all day. It was a great day in all areas for Joey and receivers Amir Karian and Darian Fardghassemi.”

Defensive linemen Lev Khodeverdy, Scott Lipman, Tim McAloon, Brandon Bernstein and Austin Tesoriero performed well, too, Adamson said.

“They were great up front,” he said.

TOUGH GAMES COMING UP

Calabasas and Viewpoint should enjoy the success because it’s going to get a lot harder next week, as Calabasas begins Marmonte competition against state power Westlake, and Viewpoint faces L.A. Baptist featuring top quarterback Shane Smith, one of the Southland’s leading passers.

“I don’t care if they’re favored by 50 points. We just want to come out and play hard,” Pierce said. “I’m glad we’re seeing this kind of competition in Week 2 or Week 3. It’s only going to make us stronger for the rest of the season.”

Smith has passed for 591 yards and seven touchdowns in two games.

“L.A. Baptist is very explosive on offense,” Adamson said. “They throw it very well, and we have work cut out for us. The boys are fired up.”

AND THE REST

It was also a good week for Calabasas’ JV and frosh teams. The JV defeated Granada Hills 41-0, and the freshmen defeated Santa Maria 40-6.