Jeff Tully
The school year hadn't even started, but Burroughs High's Jay
Gudzin was hard at work last week helping clean up the campus.
Being the assistant principal in charge of athletics and
activities, cleaning duties aren't usually a part of Gudzin's
on-campus activities. However, in the wake of a mess left by vandals
at Burroughs, Gudzin had no choice but to lend a hand.
"I was out there one morning at 7 a.m. sweeping up the dog food
left around campus," Gudzin said. "There were massive amounts of dog
food that individuals spread all over the campus. It was really a big
mess."
Along with the canine kibble, there was also some other damage
done to campus buildings. Along with blue paint splashed on the old
gym -- the Brian W. Hurst Gymnasium -- vandals also left either paint
or ink on some of the newly constructed buildings."
The damage to the Burroughs campus came the same week portions of
Burbank High were defaced. As players showed up for football practice
Aug. 26, they were greeted with a paint-splattered Bulldog insignia
on the school's gym, "INDIANS" written in white paint on one of the
long jump runways and "JB" spelled out on the football field.
It appears the damage at the campuses might have something to do
with the rivalry between Burbank and Burroughs, as both facilities
were defaced with the colors of the rival school.
Gudzin, who has been a player, co-football coach and now an
administrator at Burroughs, said the vandalism is perplexing to him.
"I have never seen anything like this so early in the season,"
Gudzin said. "In all of my years there hasn't been anything like
this, with damage to both schools.
"I talked to the coaches and players here at Burroughs, and I have
talked to people at Burbank. There is just something very strange
about the whole situation."
Gudzin also said acts like this do nothing good for both schools.
"Stuff like this just doesn't make sense," he said. "It's bad for
everyone."
Ali Kiafar, of the Burbank Unified School District, said the
damage to Burroughs was minimal. He also said the graffiti was wiped
off the buildings and there was no need to repaint.
Last week marked the opening of Hell week for the local football
teams. Along with two-a-day practices, teams traditionally use the
week to get in shape for the upcoming season.
The Burbank and Burroughs football teams will meet at 7 p.m. Nov.
15 at Memorial Field for the annual cross-town rivalry game.
The Indians haven't lost a Big Game event to their rivals since
1992, which is the last time the Bulldogs won a Foothill League game.
