​Paul Schilling’s first move as Crescenta Valley High’s new football coach was to switch running back Julian Savery to quarterback. The 5-foot-11, 200-pound senior hadn’t signaled a desire to play QB last season, and he had missed all of 2025 with a torn ACL suffered during a Valentine’s Day pickup basketball game at the YMCA. “I should have had a date,” Savery joked. Savery has always used his size to run over tacklers, and he last played quarterback in eighth grade for flag football. While rehabbing his knee, he began throwing a football to speed up his recovery, and Schilling noticed and rewarded him with a spring opportunity. The Falcons are impressed with his progress, noting his speed and a solid arm. Savery has since declared his basketball career finished, saying, “Never again.”
In other City Section news, Birmingham is aiming to regain balance and challenge defending champion Carson. Although Birmingham once relied on a potent offensive mix, Carson has overtaken them, and the Patriots are working to strengthen their passing game this season. Birmingham features a strong group of receivers, led by Paul Turner, who averaged 24.5 yards per catch as a junior, along with Hayden Schuler, who transferred from Sierra Canyon and posted a 10.93-second 100 meters as a freshman, and Nathan Chandler’s steady improvement as a freshman. The quarterback job is expected to start with junior Daniel Kakooza, but freshman Exavier Johnson could emerge by season’s end; his father was a prominent quarterback at Birmingham and Taft. Birmingham participated in the Saugus passing tournament last weekend, and coach Jim Rose said the team’s passing attack already looks better than last season.
Meanwhile, five former head coaches now serve on the Simi Valley staff. Thousand Oaks legend Bob Richards, who turns 84 in August, is an assistant at Simi Valley after coaching 28 years there, including 12 as head coach until his 1995 retirement. Richards has nine grandchildren and continues to contribute. In other developments, Simi Valley celebrated a successful 7-on-7 tournament run, with Braxton Boyd earning MVP honors and La Canada Football noting the upgrade of their turf. Simi Valley head coach Jim Benkert has assembled a staff that includes five former head coaches: Richards, Dion Lambert (Granada Hills Kennedy), Richard Fong (L.A. Baptist), Justin Berenson (Buena), and Jason, as part of a broader effort to bring experience and leadership to the program.