By Joe Snyder
Serra High’s football team began its season with high hopes but knows it is faced with a rigid schedule; both in non-league and the Mission League.
Last Friday night, the Cavaliers began their 2024 season at home against always powerful Orange Lutheran. Serra had several chances but failed to capitalize and fell to the Lancers 21-13.
After Orange Lutheran scored first, senior quarterback Jimmy Butler scored his first of two touchdowns on a 10-yard keeper midway in the first quarter to tie the game at seven.
After that, the Lancers used their physical line and grabbed the lead for good on a 1-yard TD run by sophomore running back Joe Nembhard. Kicker Aiden Migirdichian connected on his second of his 3-for-3 point after touchdown attempts to give Orange Lutheran a 14-7 lead with 1:23 left before halftime.
The Lancers continued to lead 14-7 at halftime but increased it to 21-7 with 6:55 remaining in the game on a 10-yard scoring pass from quarterback J.J. Lateef to Nembhard.
The Cavaliers, meanwhile, continued to miss on their chances. One of them came in the second quarter with the game still tied at seven as they drove to the Orange Lutheran 10-yard line. That was where kicker Nathan Altenberg, the son of Serra head coach Scott Altenberg, made a 27-yard field goal that could have given the Cavaliers a 10-7 lead. The Lancers, though, were called for roughing the kicker that gave Serra a first-down-and-goal at the five. Orange Lutheran, though, held the Cavaliers there as Altenberg was called to kick a short 22-yarder. His kick was blocked. From there, the Lancers scored 14 unanswered points before Butler scored on a 13-yard keeper with 2:27 to go in the contest. Altenberg missed the extra point as Orange Lutheran was able to run down the clock.
“We battled and played hard,” Scott Altenberg said. “In the end, we didn’t make the plays. We had so many opportunities. Our defense played fantastic. We played a very good team.”
Butler completed 14 of 30 passes for 223 yards. He was intercepted once.
Serra stays home to face Warren High from Downey Friday at 7 p.m. The Bears lost their season opener at home against Kamehameha Kapalama from Hawaii, 31-20, last Friday. Last year, the Cavaliers shut out host Warren 27-0.
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North gets revenge over Jordan
Last year at Long Beach Jordan, the freshman Anetema-brother combination of Boogie and Kingston gave a preview of what was to come, connecting for three touchdowns, but lost to the speedy Panthers 59-24.
At North last Friday, it was a completely different story as the Saxons rolled over the lesser experienced Jordan squad 49-7.
The Anetema combo proved to be too much for the Panthers as Boogie completed 17 of 25 passes for 306 yards and five TD’s. Four of those went to Kingston who had six receptions for 131 yards and four touchdowns.
Also, for North, which is ranked seventh in the South Bay by the Daily Breeze, running back Jayden Andrade rushed for 88 yards and two TD’s on eight carries.
The win sets a possible non-league showdown between the Saxons, who many believe could be favored to repeat as Pioneer League champions after winning it last season, and host Inglewood, the probable Bay League favorite after dominating the weaker Ocean the past few years, Friday at 7 p.m. at Coleman Stadium. At Coleman last Friday, the Sentinels recorded an impressive 35-14 win over Villa Park. Inglewood was led by junior running back Victor Santino who ran for 182 yards and four touchdowns on 16 carries. Inglewood, though, has very good depth, physicalness and speed that North will have to contend with. This will be a very stiff test for the Saxons.
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GHS tops Crespi in first game
Gardena High’s football team, last year’s Marine League co-champion with Carson, began its season on the right foot by defeating host Crespi 14-7 in a non-league game last Friday in Encino.
The Panthers, who are now ranked sixth in the CIF-Los Angeles City Section by MaxPreps, had a fine running game. Senior running back Xavier Grant did his usual as he rushed for 123 yards and one touchdown on 11 carries. He scored on a 10-yard run. Myles Mason scored the other TD for Gardena.
The Panthers also played a stingy defense that held the Celtics to just 143 total offensive yards and one touchdown.
The Panthers will host Crenshaw in non-league play today at 4 p.m. The Cougars hope to have enough eligible players available for the contest, though. As of last week, several players were not eligible due to failing to turn in paper work on time. Last year at Crenshaw, Gardena rallied for a last-second touchdown to pull off an 18-13 win over the Cougars.
At Zamperini Field, Torrance High’s football team recorded a walk-off field goal by Carlos Hudgkins for a come-from-behind 24-21 victory over San Pedro.
The Pirates entered the fourth quarter with a 21-14 lead but the Tartars came back as Malikai Johnson scored on a 4-yard run with 11:02 left in the game to tie it at 21.
This is the second straight time that Torrance rallied to beat San Pedro. Last year, the Tartars once trailed 17-3 before rallying for three touchdowns to pull off a 24-17 win over the host Pirates.
Torrance will host cross town rival West Torrance in non-league play Friday at 7 p.m. The Warriors, who moved down from the Pioneer to the Ocean after a last place finish in 2023, are opening their season after playing just a scrimmage last Friday.
Narbonne star junior quarterback Jaden O’ Neal proved why he is a top college prospect as he led the Gauchos to an impressive 28-14 victory over last season’s CIF-L.A. City Section Open Division runner-up East L.A. Garfield last Friday in Harbor City.
O’Neal, a four-star college recruit who already committed to University of Oklahoma after transferring there from Newport Harbor High last spring, completed 16 of 18 passes for 188 yards and scored on two short one-yard runs.
O’Neal did not throw any TD passes as Hakin Frampton gave the Gauchos a 14-7 lead on an 85-yard kickoff return and Xavier Atkinson added a 2-yard scoring run.
Narbonne has a very rigid non-league schedule as it visits top CIF-Southern Section program Los Alamitos Friday at 7 p.m.
Carson opened its season at home by rolling over Hawthorne 56-0.
Returning all-CIF L.A. City running back sparked the Colts, running for 109 yards and two touchdowns.
Carson visits Millikan High in Long Beach today at 7 p.m.
Bishop Montgomery had a strong game by sophomore Cameron Brewer but fell short of Boron 44-38 last Friday at Bishop Montgomery in Torrance.
Brewer had 11 receptions for 131 yards and two touchdowns. Quarterback Sean Yanko completed 11 of 19 passes for 203 yards with both of his touchdown passes going to Brewer.
Bishop Montgomery hosts South El Monte Friday at 7 p.m.
