Stingy Baumer, St. Bonaventure Top Poll

Sure, defense wins games.

But the defense at St Bonaventure High has helped the Seraphs win six in a row.

After allowing 10 points in the last 14 quarters, the Seraphs (6-1) have worked their way to the top spot in the Southern Section Division X poll. The Serpahs have already tied a school record with three shutouts in a season.

Most notable has been inside linebacker Ben Baumer, a holdover from last year’s Division X championship team. He had 16 tackles in a recent victory over Harvard-Westlake and can drop back in coverage as well.

“If he’s not [an] All-L.A. Times [selection], I don’t know what’s wrong,� St. Bonaventure Coach Jon Mack said. “He’s sideline to sideline. He’s amazing. Don’t come on the field unless you want him to tackle you.�

The Serpahs’ offense has also been solid, averaging 321.1 yards per game. The season-opening 42-16 flop against Paraclete is almost a distant memory.

“I told everyone to give us some time, that we were going to get better,� Mack said.

Turning the Page: Oak Park High outside linebacker Roger Page went home Tuesday after four nights in the hospital, although it might not seem like it.

Page, who had a metal rod inserted into his right leg to help correct two broken bones and several muscle tears suffered during last Friday’s game against Bishop Diego, was allowed to go home on a couple of conditions.

He had to rent a hospital bed and a device that compresses his leg to prevent blood clots.

“They didn’t even want to send me home,� Page said. “I was so sick of the hospital that I just said, ‘Send me home.’ �

Page, who has set up the hospital bed and equipment in his living room, injured his leg when a Bishop Diego ball carrier fell on it. He will not play again this season.

Missing link: Notre Dame (5-2) improved on defense in a 21-0 win over Chaminade last week, when end Julien Maurel returned from injury after missing two games.

Maurel missed both Notre Dame losses, causing Knight Coach Kevin Rooney to remark, “According to him, that was the key.�

Season cut short: Calabasas High tight end Jeff Wilk will miss the rest of the season with torn knee ligaments.

Wilk, a 6-foot-3, 215-pounder, was named first-team All-Frontier League last season.

Forgetful: Deception? Deceit? A new wrinkle in the Burroughs offense?

Nope, just a case of mistaken identity caused by a case of forgetfulness.

Burroughs receiver Edgar Franco was credited with two catches for 16 yards in the first half of Burroughs’ 33-21 loss to Canyon last Friday.

But not so fast.

The little-used receiver was little used.

It turns out that number 26, listed as Franco in the program, was really Glenn Adriatico, who left his jersey (No. 3) in the Burroughs locker room before boarding the bus to Canyon.

Adriatico used Franco’s jersey for the first half while Burroughs Athletic Director Marty Garrison drove back to Burbank to retrieve Adriatico’s jersey.

“Edgar didn’t play,� Burroughs Coach Keith Knoop said. “Everyone thought we were trying to do something deceptive or something.�

For the record, Adriatico had five catches for 73 yards in that game.

GIRLS’ BASKETBALL

Hoop-dee-doo: A rivalry might be developing between City Section power North Hollywood and Harvard-Westlake, one of the area’s most promising Southern Section programs.

The Huskies beat Harvard-Westlake, 50-46, on Sunday at North Hollywood to tie the Wolverines for first place in the 10-team American Roundball Corp.’s North Hollywood Division. Both play this weekend in the ARC Future Star Fall League playoffs.

North Hollywood and the Wolverines will meet in a regular-season, intersectional game on Dec. 11 at Harvard-Westlake.