It Is Better to Receive in West Valley

Sophomore Steve Smith of Taft High, all of 15 years old, is already the undisputed wizard of wideouts in the West Valley League.

With 51 catches, 858 yards and nine touchdowns in six games, who is going to argue? Certainly not the defensive backs he’s left in the dust.

But several other receivers in the league toast defenders like wheat bread at a greasy spoon.

Joey Rodriguez of Granada Hills has nine touchdowns and averages 28.9 yards on 21 catches despite missing Friday’s game because of an injury.

Terrish Weston has only 16 catches for run-oriented El Camino Real, but they have gone for 554 yards and six touchdowns. Weston, a 6-foot-4 senior, averages 34.6 yards a catch.

Randy Bundy of Cleveland belongs in fast company too. A junior, he was part of Cleveland’s 1,600-meter relay team that finished second in the state meet. The Cavaliers have completed only 45 passes and Bundy has caught 26 for 603 yards and six touchdowns.

Ramal Porter and John Walker each have five touchdown receptions and give unbeaten Birmingham a dual threat. Porter, a 5-4 junior, averages 19.2 yards on 20 catches. Walker, a 6-1 senior headed to USC, averages 28.2 yards on 17 receptions.

Last-place Chatsworth has two solid receivers, Fred Brewer and Sam Riley, both averaging 15 yards a catch.

But Smith’s toughest competition shares the huddle with him. Chris Morgan, a USC-bound senior who was state champion in the 110 high hurdles, has 30 catches and five touchdowns.

“It’s share and share alike with us,” Smith said. “Chris is a great weapon. There are some great receivers in this league, but I’ll put Chris up against any of them.”

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Going Deep

A look at the top receivers by yards per catch in the West Valley League:

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Player, Team Rec Yds TD Avg. Terrish Weston, El Camino Real 16 554 6 34.6 Joey Rodriguez, Granada Hills 21 607 9 28.9 John Walker, Birmingham 17 479 5 28.2 Randy Bundy, Cleveland 26 603 6 23.2 Michael Moreno, Chatsworth 13 251 1 19.3 Ramal Porter, Birmingham 20 384 5 19.2 Steve Smith, Taft 51 858 9 16.8 Fred Brewer, Chatsworth 18 284 2 15.8 Chris Morgan, Taft 30 472 5 15.7 Sam Riley, Chatsworth 16 245 4 15.3 Robert Ortega, Granada Hills 18 254 1 14.1

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