Viewpoint Falls in Football Opener

It was a long ride home from Chula Vista on Friday for football team.

The Patriots lost 34-6 in the season opener at Mater Dei, a San Diego Section opponent that is California’s southernmost school, and Viewpoint is hoping to grow from the experience and improve heading into another nonleague game this coming Friday against visiting Villanova (0-1) of Ojai.

After going 2-6-1 last season, Viewpoint has purposely ungraded its schedule, so some growing pains were expected.

“Mater Dei has a very good team. They are the biggest team we have played in the last two years, and they were pretty physical as well,” Viewpoint coach Chris Adamson said. “I expect them to make serious noise down there in the San Diego Section. Their lines and linebackers are very, very big and effective. We struggled to get anything going offensively.”

The highlight for Viewpoint was a Darian Fardghassemi’s 50-yard touchdown reception. Once the team gets its timing down, more good things are expected, Adamson said.

“We were just one block away multiple times, or we just missed a wide-open receiver multiple times, plus some dropped passes,:” Adamson said. “We just did not execute except for the 50-yard pass to Fardghassemi in the second quarter.”

Villanova also took its lumps, falling 48-6 to St. Genevieve on Saturday in the first game, so the Viewpoint-Villanova matchup should prove compelling, as both are trying to scratch together their first win of the season.

“Defensively, we have to tackle better than last year, but we did limit the big play much better than last year and made them earn their TDs through longer drives,” Adamson said. “In reviewing the film, we had many chances to make it a game, but we are still learning how to compete and play with confidence and to play to win.”

Adamson called Mater Dei “the biggest team we’ve played in two years.”

It will be interesting to see how much Viewpoint improves, as generally high school teams make their biggest strides of the season from Week 1 to Week 2.

Meanwhile, Calabasas opens Friday against visiting Granada Hills, an opponent the Coyotes defeated 17-7 in last year’s opener. But this time, Granada Hills has the advantage of having already played a game, as the Highlanders opened with a 14-7 win over Reseda.

TRYING TO COPE

With heavy hearts, Calabasas' basketball team is trying to cope, as assistant coach Joe Frazier remains hospitalized in serious condition after being involved in a motorcyle collision with a hit-and-run SUV.

The Coyotes played two games Saturday and lost both by one point, the second to Pasadena.

"We played a tough game with Pasadena, going toe-to-toe, until some turnovers and missed free throws cost us," coach Jon Palarz said.