Taft High School Gets New Friday Night Lights
I didn’t know the status of the previous light was so ghetto. This is good news to all, I’m sure.
Eric Sondheimer writes for the LA Times:
Anyone who has attended a football game at Woodland Hills Taft knows the stadium lights rank among the worst in Los Angeles.
Finally, after years of complaints, Taft is about to unveil new lighting. The new poles are in, the new concrete has been set but the wiring still needs to take place, so there will be one final game with the old lights on Friday before the new lights can be activated for the first round of the playoffs.
Former Coach Troy Starr, now the head coach at San Diego Helix, used to make fun of the near darkness, saying it gave Taft an advantage because visiting teams had trouble seeing the ball.
“That’s unbelievable,” Starr said about the new lights. “That means anything is possible in life. I may have to come and check a game out.”
But remember, there’s one final game with the old lights.
“Pull the cars up and turn on the headlights,” Coach Matt Kerstetter joked.
Popularity: 23%
A Few Taft Alumni Launch New Raiders Fight Song Video
A good friend of mine, who is apparently a very big Raiders fan launched a video today on YouTube for a new fight song they’ve written, recorded, produced, etc. I told him I’d do him a favor and post it for him on the blog. Their band is Killroy, and 3 of the four members all graduated from Taft High School here in Woodland Hills. They are James Lane (’81), Thomas Spain (’82), and Eric Troop (’84).
Please feel free to leave a comment and let them know what you think. I’m not sure how I feel about that rock and roll music.
Popularity: 1%
YD’s Sports Bar & Grill Making Strong Entrance Into West Valley Scene
YD's on Fallbrook Ave in West Hills
Yesterday afternoon I decided to drop in and take a closer look at YD’s (which I just learned about the other day) and hopefully talk to someone to get the scoop on the place. Right when you walk in, you can tell they’ve invested a lot of money into the place to make it the ultimate sports bar, as there are dozens (over 35 as I later learned) of flat screen TVs on the walls throughout the place.
I asked the bartender who I might speak to about the place, and was immediately introduced to Fabian Bartolini. Bartolini was partners in both the Santa Monica Yankee Doodle’s (for 15 years) and the Woodland Hills Yankee Doodle’s (for 12 years), that closed in 2008. Since that time Bartolini has been patiently and carefully waiting for the right opportunity to open another sports bar in the West Valley.
Bartolini gave me a bit of the back story as to why the Woodland Hills Yankee Doodles closed, and to sum it up Yankee Doodle’s still had three years left on their lease when Westfield acquired the property on which the old restaurant and bar stood. However, in a move to maximize their return on investment they auctioned off the highly valuable corner end cap to the highest bidder, which ended up being Crate & Barrel. Ironically, Crate & Barrel ended up being built much closer to the actual corner of the property, but Yankee Doodle’s building was still lost due to C&B’s desire for ample parking. Coco’s was also supposed to close right away, but the collapse of the economy clutched their feet from the fire – for the time being.
As you’ll remember, Westfield has floated the idea of placing a Costco on the property, a sure sign that “The Village” is a dead project.
So, back to the story of YD’s. The Stargazer in West Hills was operated as a banquet hall with a Chinese buffet during lunch hours. Stargazer, however, like many restaurants before it at that location was unfortunately a money loser and in need of rescue. This includes a deli and an Italian restaurant. Bartolini approached the owners of the Stargazer, who I’m told are a family that has lived in the West Valley for a long time and has deep connections to the area, about partnering up, pumping some funds into the place, and transforming the facility into a sports bar.
Well, a deal was struck and in only 30 days Bartolini and his team made a series of mostly cosmetic and technological changes to the facility to convert it from a banquet hall and underwhelming Chinese buffet into what they confidently hope will become “West Hills’ #1 Sports Bar and Grill.”
Some highlights of YD’s (here come the bullet points):
- Over 35 LCD TVs and 4 Big Screens for watching every sports game imaginable (amazing electronic system that lets them independently control the HD programming on each and every TV – no expense spared)
- All Sports Packages – NFL, NHL, NBA, etc. as well as ALL PPV FIGHTS and even , WWE, UFC, and Mexican Soccer
- Upscale Location, Yet Affordable Food and Drinks (”Cheaper than ‘The Rack’)
- American, Italian, Mexican Fused Menu
- NTN Trivia (Only place in the San Fernando Valley with NTN!)
- Happy Hour 4 to 7pm – 7 days a week – Half Price Appetizers and Tons of Drink Specials
- Late Night Happy Hour – 10pm to Close (Food Specials Only)
- DJ Dancing (huge dance floor) Thurs, Fri, Sat 9pm to close (2am)
- Karaoke Tuesdays & Fridays 5pm to 9pm
- Ample night time security, tons of parking, and valet parking coming soon on Thurs, Fri, & Sat nights
- Games
Fabian prides himself on the diverse customer base that he hopes to attract with YD’s, from the suit and tie Warner Center crowd to just about every type of neighborhood local sports fan you could imagine. The 10,000 square foot facility is also still available for banquets, special events, and parties.
While I was there, I had a chance to try some of the food (The Yankee Sampler) and it was delicious. Excellent ribs! I’ve been on the beat for about four months now, and Fabian is one of the nicest and down to Earth business owners that I’ve met. Obviously, Fabian has the expertise and the energy to really make YD’s a success and I wish him, his partners, and employees the best of luck.
YD’s Sports Bar and Grill is located at 6501 Fallbrook Avenue, West Hills, CA. Their phone number is (818) 704-6633.
Popularity: 22%
NBA Wizard’s Gilbert Arenas Went To Taft High School
LA Times Image of Gilbert Arenas (He is making his OJ Simpson face.)
A pretty good article in the LA Times takes a look at the locker room gun drawing situation between Gilbert Arenas and his teammate Javaris Crittenton. I was surprised to recently learn that Arenas went to Taft High School here in Woodland Hills.
A little blurb from the LA Times article:
As a young player at Woodland Hills Taft High, Arenas was overlooked by all the biggies, getting a scholarship offer from Arizona only after another player pulled out.
No matter how high Arenas climbed, which was very high, indeed, it was easy to see no one trusted his success less than he did.
“He’s a very sweet kid, good natured, big heart, very giving when given a chance,” Howard Levine, his coach at Taft, once said, “but he’s got some issues. . . .
“He challenges everybody to, ‘What are you going to do, are you going to leave me?’ ”
Friendly, if loud, betting arguments with teammates and friends were frequent. Action was a way of life for Arenas, who once won a car in a video game with an old friend from the Valley, and collected.
If you’re into sports or the NBA the article is worth reading.
Correction (from the LA Times):
FOR THE RECORD:
Gilbert Arenas’ high school: An NBA column on an alleged incident involving handguns in the Washington Wizards’ locker room that appeared in Sunday’s Sports section said the Wizards’ Gilbert Arenas went to Woodland Hills Taft High. Arenas attended Van Nuys Grant.
Popularity: 3%
Taft’s Founding Football Coach Hal Lambert Passes Away
Hal Lambert, the founding football coach at Taft High in Woodland Hills for 20 seasons beginning in 1960, died Monday. He was 84.
“We opened the school together,” said Ray O’Connor, Lambert’s longtime assistant coach. “Hal was always an energetic worker, and he produced a lot of league-championship teams and coached several all-star teams. He coached several players that went on to the pros. I guess the most famous one was Jeff Fisher.”
A memorial service is scheduled for noon Monday at Groman-Eden in Mission Hills.
Lambert’s career record was 94-80-6. Taft finished undefeated in the regular season in 1965 before eventually losing to LosAngeles in the playoffs.
He is survived by his wife Millie, his daughter Jodi, his son Michael, and one grandchild and two great grandchildren.
Popularity: 1%
D.J. Morgan Tears ACL, Requires Surgery – Bummer For Taft/USC
Hopefully the kid will make a full recovery, because by all analysis he’s got a promising college career and possibly beyond ahead of him.
Eric Sonheimer (LA Times) writes:
The high school sports season for football-track standout D.J. Morgan of Woodland Hills Taft might have ended today when an MRI exam diagnosis revealed he has a torn ligament in his knee and a partial tear of the meniscus, according to football Coach Matt Kerstetter. Surgery will be needed.
Morgan was injured Thursday night during Taft’s City Section Division I first-round playoff victory over Garfield. He had an MRI exam Friday night, but it wasn’t until today that he received a definitive answer about the ACL injury. Kerstetter did not know if Morgan would be able to return for track season in the spring.
Morgan is the No. 1 hurdler in the world for his age group at 110 meters. This summer in Italy, he won the 110 hurdles at the World Youth Championships. This spring, he won the state championship in the same event. He also has rushed for nearly 4,800 yards in his four-year football career at Taft.
Morgan has committed to USC, though he has plans to visit Arizona State.
Morgan went down after a 15-yard run at the outset of the third quarter, and that injury will have ramifications for the rest of the sports season, with California possibly losing its most prolific returning track standout.
Please see Sonheimer’s full article for more details.
“It hurts. I can’t really bend or straighten my knee,” Morgan said.
On offense, expect Lucky Radley and Shaquille Shelton to have a bigger role. Radley has rushed for 554 yards and scored seven touchdowns in seven games, and Shelton has rushed for 203 yards, caught 17 passes for 304 yards and scored four touchdowns.
The loss of Morgan is not Taft’s only problem tonight. Top wideout Donnel Robinson (16 receptions, 383 yards, four touchdowns) is scheduled to sit out the first quarter for disciplinary reasons, and quarterback Bam Goodall is recovering from a spell of dizziness that kept him sidelined for most of the game last week.
Kerstetter said Goodall wasn’t feeling well because of low blood sugar. Four weeks ago, Goodall injured his back during a game against El Camino Real of Woodland Hills and spent the night in a hospital.
Popularity: 1%
Some Good News For Taft, Kerstetter Dodges Bullet, Avoids Suspension
As previously reported, it was believed that Taft’s Coach Kerstetter would have to sit out the last game of the season. However, according to an article in the Daily News no one at the City Section “followed through,” so the suspension will not happen.
After an agonizing three days thinking he would be suspended, coach Matt Kerstetter of Taft of Woodland Hills will return to the sideline for Friday’s key West Valley League finale at Cleveland of Reseda.
Kerstetter was ejected last Friday after the game for arguing with an official in a 44-32 loss against Birmingham of Lake Balboa, but apparently no one followed through with the City Section, so Kerstetter does not have to sit out the next game.
“I just got an e-mail from John Aguirre, the assistant commissioner, and he cleared me,” Kerstetter said. “He said to chalk it up to a learning experience.”
There article also adds:
Taft (5-4, 3-1) must defeat Cleveland of Reseda (7-2, 3-1) to guarantee a City Div. I playoff spot.
Popularity: 1%
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