By Joe Snyder
It has been nearly two months since Serra High’s football team played a home game as the Cavaliers enjoyed their homecoming by pulling away for a 52-21 win over Bishop Amat High from La Puente last Friday.
After a 7-7 tie after the first quarter, Serra let loose for 24 points to seven for the Lancers for a 31-14 halftime lead. Shortly after a 27-yard field goal by junior kicker Nathan Altenberg, son of head Cavaliers coach Scott Altenberg, C.J. McBean got things going with a 35-yard interception return for a touchdown. On the next Serra drive, quarterback Jimmy Butler found wide receiver Malachi Halt for a 10-yard TD pass as the Cavaliers built a 24-7 lead with 4:50 left in the second quarter. The Lancers, who are in a rebuilding season with now a 2-7 overall record including 0-4 in the Mission League, got within 24-14 on a 7-yard scoring pass from quarterback Frank Vallalbazo tight end Aiden Medina but Serra finished off the first half scoring on Butler’s 15-yard quarterback keeper with 52 seconds remaining before halftime.
Bishop Amat had its last hurrah of the game on running back Andrew Benavidez’ one-yard touchdown run as the Cavaliers finished off the game with 21 unanswered points to turn the game into a blowout.
The string began with Delawn Reed’s 10-yard TD run with 4:31 to go in the third period. With 2:02 remaining in the quarter, Reed ran a fake punt 77 yards for the score increasing Serra’s lead to 45-21.
The Cavaliers scored their final seven points on a 33-yard touchdown run by Jayshaun Edwards.
“Our defense did very well,” Scott Altenberg said. “Our offense played well the whole game.”
Jadyn Robinson scored Serra’s first touchdown on a 21-yard run in the first quarter.
Now it is time for Serra to prepare for the league showdown with powerful Sierra Canyon from Chatsworth at home Friday at 7 p.m. Both teams are unbeaten at 4-0 and each have 7-2 overall marks. The Trailblazers are coming off a 45-0 whitewash of Loyola last Friday at home. Sierra Canyon is currently ranked fifth in the CIF-Southern Section by MaxPreps. Serra is ninth and second in the Daily Breeze behind Bay League leader and unbeaten Inglewood.
“They’re fantastic,” Scott Altenberg said of the Trailblazers. “We have our work cut out.”
“It will be a good game,” McBean said. “We need a very good week of practice.”
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Windward ends Lady Cavs in first So. Section flag football playoffs
Serra High’s flag football team started out well but a big second half by Windward High from Mar Vista put an end to the Cavaliers in a 28-18 loss in the first round of the CIF-Southern Section playoffs on Oct. 22 at Serra.
Behind two touchdowns by quarterback Rhandi Lynn Flores, Serra started things well in taking a 12-6 halftime lead. She threw a pair of 20-yard TD passes to wide receivers Karson Smith and Jada Jones.
The Wildcats, however, grabbed the lead for good on a pair of big play touchdowns, leading 20-12 after three quarters.
A third scoring pass by Flores to freshman Zoey Robinson, though, got the Cavaliers to within two points with 1:15 left in the game. Flores’ two-point conversion pass to Savanah Coleman, however, fell incomplete.
Seconds later, Windward put the game away on a 50-yard run and the two-point conversion was good.
“It was heart,” Serra head coach Monique Adams said about the Wildcats’ win. They wanted it more and they played better than we did.”
Windward moved on to the quarterfinals by way of a 36-12 second round victory over Redlands East Valley last Saturday at Windward. The Wildcats played at Ocean League champion Santa Monica, a 25-14 second round winner over Costa Mesa Estancia, in the quarters last Tuesday.
The Lady Cavaliers tied for second place with rival Inglewood St. Mary’s Academy in the Santa Fe League. The Belles lost in the first round to host and Bay League champion Mira Costa on Oct. 22 in Manhattan Beach. Winning the Santa Fe was St. Joseph High from Lakewood, sister school of national boys’ tackle power Bellflower St. John Bosco.
Also in Division II play, Torrance won its first-round game at home against Fullerton Rosary Academy 24-12.
Jennah Plach proved dominant by scoring two touchdowns, one on an interception and one on a 50-yard run, along with two picks and nine tackles (flag swipes in flag football).
The Tartars lost in the second round host El Toro 13-6 in the second round last Saturday in Lake Forest.
In the first round of the Division III playoffs on Oct. 22, host North Torrance fell one point short of Cerritos Gahr 26-25.
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ECC is unbeaten in NNC after breezing past Santa Barbara
El Camino College’s football team improved to 4-0 in the National North Conference after rolling over Santa Barbara City College 48-26 last Saturday at Murdock Stadium.
The Warriors wasted little time on the Vaqueros in leading 34-3 at halftime and led 41-3 early in the third quarter on a 24-yard touchdown run by running back Azeon Nelson.
From there, ECC played the remainder of the game with mostly reserves as it coasted to its sixth overall victory against two losses.
Behind three first half touchdowns by running back Jagger Tavai, the Warriors cruised to a 31-point first half lead. Also, quarterback Hunter Herrera threw for two TD passes; 43 yards to wide receiver Damonte Bias and eight yards to Joshua Long.
Bias also had a 10-yard scoring run to give El Camino a 48-17 lead with 9:48 remaining in the game before Santa Barbara scored the game’s final nine points on a 23-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Bennie Collins to wide receiver Antonio Trone and a safety.
Herrera completed eight of 13 passes for 98 yards and two TDs. Nelson rushed for 104 yards and one touchdown on 10 carries.
Kaleb McCutcheon sparked the Warrior defense with eight tackles.
ECC has a bye week before visiting Antelope Valley College for a 2 p.m. conference game on Nov. 9.
North Torrance (7-1 overall, 4-0 in league) clinched, at least, a tie for the Pioneer League championship with a 41-0 win over host and crosstown rival South Torrance last Friday. Torrance remained in the hunt for a co- or tri-league championship with a 24-14 home win over Santa Monica on Friday. The Tartars (8-1, 3-1) and the Saxons show down at North Friday at 7 p.m. Redondo (7-2, 3-1) is also in the mix to share the league title after rallying for a 28-20 win over host Peninsula Friday in Rolling Hills Estates. The Sea Hawks host South in their homecoming game Friday at 7 p.m.
In an always popular South Bay rivalry, host Carson rolled over Wilmington Banning 45-21 Friday.
Colt quarterback Chris Fields III accounted for four touchdowns as Carson pulled away from the Pilots, who led 14-7 at halftime, in the second half. Troy Tailua had an 89-yard punt return for a TD to tie the game at 14 early in the third quarter. Tytus Salagui had a 3-yard scoring run that was set up by a 26-yard run from Kamryn Hurst that gave the Colts a 24-14 lead as they continued to pull away from there.
Despite several players wanting to play Narbonne, Carson decided to keep the Marine League decision of boycotting the game and forfeiting. The Gauchos are suspected of committing serious recruiting violations that include players being flown in from out of state, paying them and helping them find nearby homes to play.
Gardena was the third team to boycott and forfeit last Friday’s home Marine game against Narbonne as it fell to 1-2 in league and 7-2 overall. The Panthers close league at San Pedro Friday at 7:30 p.m.
In the Ocean League, West Torrance shut out host Compton Centennial 41-0 as it gears for the league showdown at home against El Segundo Friday at 7 p.m. The Warriors and Eagles are both unbeaten in Ocean action.
