Phillips and Douglas, Not Ervins, Lead 22-14 Muir Win Over Canyon

Muir High School of Pasadena in the Coastal Conference football title game without much help from star running back Ricky Ervins? Who would have thought it?

Last season, maybe, since the Mustangs had an outstanding corps of receivers. But this was supposed to be different, a regular it’s-all-up-to-Ervins kind of season.

It was no different.

With Ervins hampered by a leg injury in the playoffs for the second straight year, Muir got 139 yards passing from quarterback Vince Phillips, and 85 yards and 2 touchdowns on the ground from speedy running back Andreas Douglas to beat Canyon of Canyon Country, 22-14, Friday night in the rain at Glendale High School for its 23rd straight win and second consecutive trip to the championship game.

Both touchdown runs for Douglas, a sprinter on the track team, were a result of speed. The first, a 12-yarder with three minutes left in the first quarter, was a reverse to the left side; the second, an 18-yarder around right end, was good for the game’s final touchdown.

“I knew once I got outside they couldn’t catch me,” Douglas said.

Hardly a great revelation to Canyon Coach Harry Welch, absent from a conference title game for the first time in four years.

“We just can’t run with those guys,” Welch said. “Douglas gets open and we can’t even come close to catching him.”

But was he surprised by the plays?

“We were ready for it (the reverse) before the game,” he said. “They caught us by surprise during the game. That’s a tribute to Douglas and Muir.”

But Canyon shouldn’t have been surprised by Muir’s defense--it’s Canyon’s. Muir Coach Jim Brownfield picked it up when he and Welch coached the Shrine All-Star game together last summer.

Junior linebacker Chad Brown was almost a regular member of the Canyon offensive backfield, leading the way on six sacks against quarterback Ken Sollom.

Offensively, Muir (13-0) got only 20 yards on 6 carries and 2 catches for 9 yards from Ervins, the do-it-all senior who hurt his right knee last week against Palmdale. Phillips also injured an ankle in that game and was not 100% this week, Brownfield said, but still completed 16 of 22 for 139 yards and a 9-yard touchdown to Darin Warren with 5:30 to play in the third quarter. That, combined with Jon Ruiz’s extra point, put Muir, down at halftime, 14-8, ahead to stay, 15-14.

“We just played good, all-around football,” Brownfield said. “The running game wasn’t there, and when we had to, Vince made the big pass.

“It’s amazing. Out offensive line did its best job of pass blocking all year. They really did a number. The difference in the game was that we got our sacks and they didn’t.”