With about a minute and a half left in the game, it appeared that El Camino College’s football team had taken a 34-33 lead as it looked like quarterback Joey Notch tossed an 18-yard touchdown pass to his ex-West Torrance High teammate Nick Roos.
Roos caught the ball with both feet in bounds, but fell to the turf as the ball came loose.
The officials ruled no catch on the fourth down and 10 play and Ventura College received the ball at the 18.
With about a minute and a half left in the game, it appeared that El Camino College’s football team had taken a 34-33 lead as it looked like quarterback Joey Notch tossed an 18-yard touchdown pass to his ex-West Torrance High teammate Nick Roos.
Roos caught the ball with both feet in bounds, but fell to the turf as the ball came loose.
The officials ruled no catch on the fourth down and 10 play and Ventura College received the ball at the 18.
Roos, the Warriors’ team and coaches and their fans thought it was a TD but the officials said he had to maintain possession after he hit the ground.
ECC head football coach John Featherstone, however, accepted the official’s decision.
Ventura was able to hold on for a 33-30 victory to even its record to 1-1 Saturday at Redondo High.
The contest was mostly see-saw with five lead changes. ECC held a 14-13 halftime lead, but the Pirates came back with 14 unanswered points to take a 27-14 lead on a TD return on a blocked field goal with 13:57 left in the game.
The Warriors (1-1) cut Ventura’s lead to 27-21 on Kendall Sparks’ 2-yard touchdown run.
On El Camino’s next drive, Notch completed a 57-yard pass play to ex-North Torrance High standout Devante Jenkins that help set up a 3-yard TD run by Sparks to give the Warriors a 28-27 edge with 3:28 to go in the game.
On the kickoff, though, the speedy Paul Harris, who has 10.51 100-meter speed in track and field, returned the ball 89 yards to give Ventura a 33-28 lead. A two-point conversion run failed.
Notch played most of the game at quarterback, although former North Torrance standout Jorge Hernandez, who keyed the Saxons to the CIF-Southern Section Northwest Division finals two years ago, played partially early in the contest.
Notch completed 26 of 40 passes for 348 yards and two touchdowns and no interceptions. Hernandez was 6-for-15 with 72 yards and one interception.
Jenkins had eight receptions for 145 yards and one TD.
Leading the Warriors’ on the ground was Sparks, a former Carson High standout, who rushed for 104 yards on 21 carries.
The Pirates were led by quarterback Jalen Brady who completed 29 of 43 passes for 312 yards and two TDs. He was intercepted once, by another ex-North standout Michael Jurado that stopped a Ventura drive in the third period.
El Camino will visit Saddleback College in Mission Viejo Saturday at 6 p.m.
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Serra back on track, manhandles Carson 31-6
By Joe Snyder
GVN Correspondent
After the disappointing loss to a premiere Bellevue team from the Seattle area in the Honor Bowl on Sept. 6 at Oceanside High, Serra High’s football team hit the road again with more satisfying results, defeating Carson High 31-6 in intersectional non-league action last Friday.
The CIF-Los Angeles City Section power Colts tried to stay with the Cavaliers trailing 14-6 at halftime but more talented and balanced Serra squad pulled away in the second half.
The Cavaliers (2-1) continued to have strong performances from their two quarterbacks, Caleb Wilson and Khalil Tate. Wilson completed 12 of 16 for 124 yards and Tate ran for 104 yards and two touchdowns on 10 carries. Tate also threw an 11-yard TD pass to Isaac Cox.
Serra got things started well scoring on its first drive on a 4-yard touchdown run by running back Malik Roberson, but the Cavaliers were unable to score on their next three drives.
The Cavaliers made it 14-0 in the second quarter on a 44-yard punt return from Brandon Burton that set up Tate’s 20-yard scoring run.
Carson (1-1) got on the scoreboard completing a 60-yard, 11-play drive when Jabari Minix scored on a 1-yard run. The Colts were unable to connect on the point after touchdown.
Serra, though, pulled away in the second half, starting with a 33-yard field goal by sophomore kicker Erick Escamilla.
The Cavaliers, then, cashed in on a botched punt recovered by Tyson Parker. Serra went on to grab a 24-6 lead on an 8-yard touchdown run by Tate.
Tate’s TD pass to Cox completed the scoring in the fourth period.
Serra’s defense held the Colts to just four first downs in the second half.
Carson was led by Cameron Jackson with two quarterback sacks and Devonte King who ran for 60 yards on 12 carries.
Serra will host Marine League and City power Narbonne from Harbor City in another intersectional non-league game Friday at 7 p.m. The Gauchos are 1-2 after falling to Southern Section PAC Five power Alemany 51-30 last Friday at Narbonne. Alemany is in the Mission League with Serra.
The Colts visit Paramount at the same time.
