Perhaps the most notable aspect of last month’s View Park Prep win over Wilson HS was that, while View Park had not been working much on defense, they managed to shut out Wilson 20-0 anyway.

For Head Coach David Hughes, shutting out any opponent is cause for celebration.

“I don’t know if we’re good enough,” said Hughes. “But we’re only just now starting work on our defensive structure and we were able to nil a team like Wilson, which is really encouraging.”

View Park’s JV team a couple of years ago had several of the top track & field sprinters in the LA area, and those players are now upperclassmen leading the way. As their forward pack battles on, the backs are something to behold, with pace to spare.

Patton is a go-to man at No. 8.

No. 8 Zarion Patton leads the forwards and is the latest in a string of solid eightmen for VP. He is quick, a tough defender, and, most importantly says Hughes, a good listener.

Center Kaleb Jenkins is an accomplished wide receiver on the View Park football team and has games where he just seems to score at will.

Oddly, View Park’s best moments may well come on the road, as their home field is narrower than is standard. So it’s when they play on a full-width field that they can show their speed.

It’s will be a home game for View Park this week against a Roosevelt HS team that started with two non-league games in December, a win over Santiago and a loss to Dana Hills. They are an unknown entity for a View Park team  thinking playoffs. View Park, for their part, will be without two starters, including captain and flyhalf Emari Daniels. But they will bring that speed, and some well-earned pride in their defense.

Also on the slate in SoCal’s Varsity Red LA Division, Mira Costa plays a non-league game versus Saint Anthony, and Redondo Union and St. John Bosco meet up in a clash between a team new to this level and a yearly contender.