North Hollywood Football Team: 'We're Going to Win Championship!'

After winning its last three football games last season following an 0-6 start, there’s a buzz going on at North Hollywood High. The program has 142 players between the varsity and JV, and second-year coach Doug Bledsoe is thrilled.

“We’re doing OK,” Bledsoe said. “We have a lot of young guys coming up, a lot of guys we’re going to count on to do some things this year.”

Among the additions are a couple of intriguing prospects from the basketball team, 6-foot-4 Javonte Matthews and 6-2 Shaun Nzeribe. Matthews is competing with junior Cullen Englund for the starting quarterback job, and Nzeribe is looking to fit in at receiver and defensive back.

“We have a quarterback competition,” Bledsoe said. “Englund did a great job on the JV last year, and Matthews could make our team a lot more dynamic, a Cam Newton-type. He’s mainly a basketball player, but he did play quarterback in freshman ball in Atlanta a couple of years ago.”

Some of North Hollywood’s other top players are receiver/linebacker Ilya Petrosyan and lineman Geo Urquieta.

Petrosyan, also a top track runner, participated in a USC football this summer, and he performed “extremely well,” Bledsoe said.

“We’re promoting the team and the community as best we can, and that’s something the principal of the school wanted,” Bledsoe said. “I have a lot of friends who are great coaches around the area with great programs, and all of them market their school well, and all of sudden certain transfers come in. Some call it recruiting, and what we do is recruit on our own campus because we’ve got a big student population.”

That’s how Bledsoe convinced Matthews and Nzeribe to come out for the team.

“We’re just trying to spread the word, and I expect big things out of both of them,” Bledsoe said. “Oh yeah, one more thing: We’re going to win the D2 championship this year.”

BOYS OF SUMMER

After a strong baseball season that included making it to the Southern Section Division II quarterfinals, Harvard-Westlake has performed well in summer Valley Invitational Baseball League competition, as the Wolverines are 12-5-1, fifth among 32 teams.

Some of Harvard-Westlake’s top returning players, including UCLA-bound ace pitcher Lucas Giolito and standout catcher Arden Pabst, are not participating because they’re busy with more competitive ventures, and that makes Harvard-Westlake’s VIBL success all the more impressive.

“We kind of have guys traveling the earth, playing in places like North Carolina,” coach Matt LaCour said. “In the VIBL, we have guys experimenting with wood bats and playing a lot of different positions. Joe Corrigan has had a very good summer, and when Arden has been around, he’s been very good. He’s hit three home runs with a wood bat, and he’s starting to expand himself, playing some third base.”

Jack Flaherty would probably be one of the VIBL’s top pitchers, but the sophomore is taking the summer off from pitching, playing other positions and continuing to work on his hitting.

“He doesn’t need the innings. He’ll get back on the mound in the fall,” LaCour said.

CAMPBELL HALL SLUGGER STILL ON MEND

Campbell Hall grad Brett Lake is taking it easy while recovering from a knee injury, and the power-hitting infielder can’t remember the last summer he was not playing baseball.

“My knee is getting better, but I do miss baseball a lot,” Lake said.