By Joe Snyder
Gardena High’s football team had its annual homecoming game and its only night home contest of the season seeking to have a shot at a possible Marine League title in hosting another top league contender, San Pedro, last Friday night.
The Panthers were in the game in the first quarter after tying the contest at six when Akiah Brown scored his first of two touchdowns on a one-yard run.
It stayed that way until the last play of the period when the Pirates took the lead for good on an 11-yard TD run by running back Dylan Ashford, followed by a two-point conversion from Jaxon Brown for a 14-6 lead.
From there, San Pedro dominated the rest of the game enroute to a 49-14 rout of Gardena setting the stage for a Marine showdown between the Pirates and Carson tonight at 7:30 p.m. at San Pedro. The Colts remained in a first-place tie with the Pirates after hammering the undermanned Narbonne team 50-0 last Friday at Carson. Both have undefeated 3-0 league records as San Pedro and the Colts are ranked number-one and two, in order, in the L.A. City Section by MaxPreps.
The Panthers’ regular season is over as they have a bye in the final week before the CIF-Los Angeles City Section playoffs begin next week.
San Pedro scored two touchdowns each in the second and third quarters and one in the fourth.
The Pirates led 28-6 at halftime behind TDs by Derrick Johnson (one-yard run) and Chazz Fugatti (55-yard pass from quarterback Seth Solorio).
San Pedro extended its third-period lead to 42-6 on touchdowns by Ashford (12-yard run) and Brown (65-yard run).
Akiah Brown scored his second touchdown on a 3-yard run and converted on a two-point conversion run cutting the Pirates’ lead to 42-14 but San Pedro finished off its potent offense as Jaxon Brown, who was also a CIF-L.A. City Section finalist in the 100- and 200-meter dashes in track and field, sprinted 93 yards for the score.
“We have a bunch of young guys,” Gardena head coach Terrence Williams said. “We’re still learning. We’ll take pride and come back fighting in a couple of weeks. We didn’t execute in this game.”
The Panthers are currently ranked below the top eight in the City Section as they will, most likely, play in Division I in the playoffs, which begin on Nov. 7.
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North girls’ volleyball, Serra flag football falls
North Torrance High’s girls’ volleyball team ended its season after losing to host Flintridge Prep 26-24, 21-25, 25-12, 25-14, in the second round of the CIF-Southern Section Division III playoffs last Saturday.
The Saxons, who tied with rival South Torrance for the Pioneer League championship, ended their season at 25-9 after going 7-1 in league.
In the first round on Oct. 22 at North, the Saxons won in four sets over Agoura High, 25-18, 24-26, 25-16, 25-18.
“We did a lot of crazy things,” North head coach Chris Kwon said. “We don’t seem to focus. We don’t have the best athletes.”
Against the Chargers, North had fine play by middle blocker Sydney Watkins and outside hitter Kalei Plazo.
The Saxons’ win over Agoura was their first playoff win since 2015. Last season, they lost in the first round to Temecula Chaperrel.
South, which tied North for first, opened the Division III playoffs as the top seed but was swept by Lakewood St. Joseph High in the first round on Oct. 22 at South.
Serra High’s flag football team opened the CIF-Southern Section Division IV playoffs with a 34-20 home win over Ramona High from Riverside but lost in the second round at home to Riverside Martin Luther King High 41-25 on Saturday.
El Camino College’s football team increased its season record to 7-1 and National Conference South mark to 5-0 by holding on for a 38-35 win over host Southwestern College last Saturday in Chula Vista.
The Warriors will come home for a conference showdown against powerful Riverside City College on Saturday at 6 p.m.
Serra football downs Notre Dame for first league victory
Due to a rash of injuries and an inexperienced offense, Serra High’s football team lost its first three games to nationally-ranked Chatsworth Sierra Canyon, Los Angeles Loyola, and West Hills Chaminade in Mission League play.
Last Friday at L.A. Southwest College, the Cavaliers were faced with a must-win situation to stay alive for a CIF-Southern Section playoff spot. Serra has not missed the playoffs since 2004.
After blowing a 27-10 lead in their 37-27 loss to Chaminade in Serra’s homecoming game on Oct. 17 at El Camino College, the Cavaliers proved determined and ended out on top with a 35-16 win over Notre Dame High from Sherman Oaks.
Serra, which is 4-5 overall and 1-3 in Mission play, opened a 14-0 first-quarter lead on touchdowns by starting quarterback Nicolas Johnson (15-yard run) and Marcellous Ryan (52-yard run).
The Cavaliers continued to lead by 14 points at halftime before blowing the game open in the third period. Sophomore quarterback Malik Tunai tossed a 25-yard scoring pass to Daylawn Reed. Later in the third period, Reed scored his second TD on a 3-yard run for a 28-0 Serra lead.
Shortly before the end of the third quarter, quarterback Wyatt Brown, a senior transfer from Santa Monica High, found Tyron Stakes from 50 yards out cutting Serra’s lead to 28-7.
Jayshawn Edwards finished Serra’s scoring with a 20-yard touchdown run for a 35-7 lead.
The Knights, who fell to 1-3 in league, finished the scoring on a 65-yard run from Emmanuel Rollens and a safety.
The Cavaliers still played without two-way star DeVohn Moutra who is nursing a neck injury. Moutra already committed to playing football at Sacramento State University next season.
Serra will need to win its Mission finale as it visits Bishop Amat High in La Puente Friday at 7 p.m. for a playoff spot.
North High gears for Pioneer showdown after routing South
North Torrance High’s football team all but wrapped up a spot in the CIF-Southern Section playoffs by rolling over cross town rival South Torrance 48-14 in Pioneer League action last Friday at North.
With two league losses, the Saxons do not have a chance at winning their fourth consecutive league championship after unbeaten Torrance clinched, at least, a tie for the Pioneer crown by rolling over host Santa Monica 49-14 last Friday, but will look at finishing league on a huge note when they visit the Tartars (9-0 overall and 4-0 in league) tonight at 7 p.m. North is 6-3 overall and 2-2 in Pioneer play.
Leading 20-14 at halftime, the Saxons blew the game open in the second half. Steven Sarabia gave North a 27-14 lead on a 5-yard TD run. Jayson Lewis added two touchdowns, that included a 17-yard run for the Saxons’ final score.
Quarterback-defensive back Ethan Edwards had two touchdown passes, including a 6-yarder to Kchole Mataele-Juarez. On defense, he had two interceptions from Spartan quarterback Chase Spahr, who is enjoying a very good season.
South, though, has just 33 players on its roster. The Spartans fell to 3-6 overall and 0-4 in league and finish their season at home against second-place Redondo (5-4, 3-1) which breezed past Peninsula 40-21 last Friday at home.
West Torrance High’s football team set its stage for an Ocean League showdown at El Segundo High after rolling over Compton Centennial 35-6 last Friday at West. The Warriors and Eagles are both 3-0 in league as West visits El Segundo today at 7 p.m.
