To turn around the Van Nuys High football program, coach Ken Osorio started walking around campus, visiting P.E. classes and attending school events looking for students to join his team.
“Hey, you want to play football?” Osorio asks.
Two of his best recruits have been juniors Alexander Jimenez and Sebastian Flores, who were spotted at a gathering of freshmen because of their size. They came out as sophomores and have become important contributors as receivers and linebackers for Van Nuys, which is off to a 4-0 start entering its Valley Mission League opener on Friday night against defending champion Kennedy.
“We go to P.E. classes all the time,” Osorio said. “We’ve done a great job at Van Nuys sharing players.”
Senior quarterback Carlos Herrera has been the Wolves’ big offensive weapon with 315 yards passing and three touchdowns as well as 348 yards rushing and three touchdowns. He and Kennedy’s Diego Montes, another dual-threat quarterback, should have an exciting matchup on Friday night.
And three cheers for those Van Nuys players recruited out of P.E. class.
This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email eric.sondheimer@latimes.com.