Van Nuys Tripped by Marshall

Sometimes one great offensive player can lead a team to victory.

Sometimes, but not Friday at Marshall High.

Van Nuys relied heavily on the talents of senior running back Harold Boudreaux in a nonleague game, but Marshall prevailed, 35-21.

Of Van Nuys’ 15 completed passes, the multitalented Boudreaux caught 11 for 82 yards; of the Wolves’ 18 running plays, he carried 13 times for 108 yards.

It seemed as though Boudreaux (6-foot, 190 pounds) never left the field. He also punted, kicked and played linebacker. Coach Kenji Mochizuki asks a lot of Boudreaux, but then, Boudreaux expects a lot of himself.

“If I had given 110 percent, we wouldn’t be going home with a big L,� Boudreaux said as he wiped sweat and dirt from his face.

Greater factors in the loss were the 11 penalties for 117 yards against Van Nuys (1-1) and the impact of Marshall running back Hector Ortega.

Ortega, a 5-8, 175-pound senior who transferred from the Antelope Valley during the summer, scored three touchdowns and rushed for a game-high 135 yards in 11 carries.

Most of Ortega’s runs were to the outside, and when he turned the corner, he left several Wolves in his tracks. When the defenders got a hand on him, Ortega usually steadied himself and broke away for a few more yards.

“We just didn’t play aggressive football,� Mochizuki said. “We didn’t use our pads and helmets in this game.�

Ortega scored on runs of 12 and 68 yards in the first half, but it was his 27-yard touchdown reception in the fourth quarter that gave Marshall (2-0-1) an insurmountable 35-21 lead.

Van Nuys began the game in good form. Senior Patrick Alvarado, who had never returned a kickoff, made the most of his debut on the opening kickoff. The 5-11, 140-pound senior took the ball at the Wolves’ 18 and ran straight up field where he was met by several Barristers at the 40. But Alvarado broke free and raced down the sideline to give the Wolves a quick 6-0 lead--their only lead.

On the Wolves’ next possession, quarterback Bill Calhoun connected with Boudreaux on a 56-yard touchdown, pass but the play was nullified by a motion penalty.

Gary Guemiksizian scored on a 44-yard toss from Calhoun in the second quarter to cut the Barristers’ lead to 19-13.

Marshall led, 27-14, at halftime, but Van Nuys came out with a purpose after intermission. On its first possession, Van Nuys went 83 yards in 10 plays to trim the Barristers’ lead to 27-21. Calhoun rolled right and hit Boudreaux in the end zone with a 14-yard pass.

Calhoun, who was nine of 12 for 87 yards in the first half, threw three second-half interceptions and finished 15 of 26 for 150 yards.