By Joe Snyder
El Camino College’s men’s and women’s soccer teams each split their South Coast Conference matches with home wins over Los Angeles City College and road losses to Long Beach City College.
At ECC on Oct. 7, the Warrior men slipped past the Cubs 2-1 and the women recorded a 3-0 shutout victory. Last Friday at LBCC, the Warrior men were routed by the Vikings 6-0 and the women were shut out 2-0.
Against LACC, ECC’s men received one goal apiece by Amir Dawkins and Jaden Hancock. Juan Tibocha assisted on both goals.
For the Lady Warriors, Barcelona Hereda, Cillalli Saradi, and Leah Garcia each scored a goal. Sanchez also had one assist, as did Evie Campbell.
Things did not go well for El Camino against Long Beach, as both squads were shut out.
After winning the California state championship two years ago and making the state semifinals last season, the Warrior men are rebuilding with just two starting sophomores.
“We have to regroup this season,” ECC head men’s coach Miguel Sanchez, in his seventh season, said.
The Warriors played their second of four consecutive road games at Pasadena City College last Tuesday. El Camino is at Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut with the men beginning at 4 p.m. and the women starting at 7 p.m. on Friday. ECC visits Cerritos College with the men starting at 1:30 p.m. and the women beginning at 4 p.m. next Tuesday. The Warriors return home on Oct. 24 against Compton College.
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North finds Redondo too tough
Last week, North Torrance and Redondo, who finished first and second, in order, in the Pioneer League, began league with losses as the Saxons fell to host Santa Monica and the Sea Hawks lost to unbeaten Torrance and a loss would drop one of those teams to 0-2.
Last Friday, the Saxons had their annual homecoming game against Redondo, which had a few players out due to injuries or transfers who had to sit out a 30-day waiting period in non-league and the Sea Hawks entered the game 2-4, while North was 4-2 overall.
Led by Bo Ausmus, who did not play the whole non-league due to an injury and saw only limited action against Torrance, came in with a vengeance. He rushed for two touchdowns and 152 yards as the Sea Hawks crashed in on the Saxons’ homecoming party with a 34-7 rout.
Ausmus started Redondo’s scoring with a 5-yard TD run early in the first quarter giving the Sea Hawks (3-4 overall, 1-1 in Pioneer) a 7-0 lead. The Sea Hawks had opportunities to blow the game open early but, due to several critical penalties (something that Redondo had problems with during this season) forced them to settle for a pair of field goals by kicker Parker Blevins from 25 and 33 yards for a 13-0 halftime lead.
In the second half, the Sea Hawks got things going scoring three third quarter touchdowns. Redondo stretched its lead to 20-0 on an 11-yard touchdown pass from sophomore quarterback Brady Grow, who replaced senior starter Cole Leinart who was out due to a concussion he received a week earlier against Torrance, to wide receiver Tyler Harper, who transferred into Redondo over last summer. Ausmus scored his second TD on a 4-yard run, then the Sea Hawks finished their scoring on a 25-yard touchdown pass from Grow to wide receiver Blake Wunderli just two seconds before the end of the third period.
Redondo’s defense kept the Saxons in check but North scored its only touchdown on a 4-yard quarterback keeper by Ethan Edwards with 1:06 left in the game.
The Saxons visit Peninsula High in Rolling Hills Estates for a 7 p.m. league contest on Friday. It is the Panthers’ homecoming game as they bring in portable lights for their rare night game.
Torrance increased its undefeated overall record to 7-0 and Pioneer mark to 2-0 by shutting out Peninsula 31-0 last Friday at Zamperini Field.
The Tartars visit cross town rival South Torrance Friday at 7 p.m. The Spartans (3-4, 0-2) are coming off a 42-37 loss to host Santa Monica last Friday. The Vikings are unbeaten in league at 2-0 and are 5-2 overall entering Friday’s Pioneer showdown at Redondo.
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Serra’s offen. woes in loss to Loyola High
Serra High’s football team got the privilege of hosting Loyola High at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood last Thursday but the Cavaliers continued to struggle with their offense in a 13-10 loss to the Cubs.
Missed opportunities hampered Serra in its fourth overall loss in seven games as the Cavaliers fell to 0-2 in the Mission League.
Serra started out by a fourth-down-and-two at the Loyola 39-yard line but a rush attempt by DeVohn Moutra fell short of the first-down line at the 37. Serra had another opportunity with a fourth down but a pass by quarterback Nicholas Johnson fell incomplete. In the fourth quarter, the Cavaliers were in the red zone on a fourth-down play but a scramble by reserve quarterback Malik Tunai fell two yards short.
Serra also had another opportunity, driving to the Loyola 7-yard line but a field goal attempt was blocked as the Cubs’ Malique Pollard recovered the ball as he ran it for a touchdown.
The Cavalier defense began the scoring as Moutra had a quarterback sack for a safety.
Loyola had a 10-2 lead but Serra was able to tie the game late in the second quarter on a 2-yard TD run by Tunai, followed by his two-point conversion run.
The Cubs scored the eventual winning field from 35 yards out by kicker Jacob Kreinbring for the only points of the second half.
Serra will attempt to pick up its first Mission win as it hosts Chaminade Prep in its annual homecoming game at El Camino College Friday at 7 p.m.
The Serra-Loyola game was the first of two games involving South Bay teams at SoFi Stadium. In the other contest, Lawndale Leuzinger rolled to a 40-14 win over Palos Verdes in a Bay League showdown. The Olympians are 6-1 overall and 2-0 in league, while the Sea Kings fell to 5-2 overall and 1-1 in the Bay.
Carson proves too much for GHS in league action
After opening the Marine League with an impressive 29-6 victory over host Banning High in Wilmington on Oct. 3, Gardena High’s football team was heavily tested against Carson, which came in ranked No. 1 in the CIF-Los Angeles City Section by MaxPreps, last Thursday at Gardena.
The Colts showed why they were the top-ranked squad in L.A. by rolling over the host Panthers 49-20.
Gardena had trouble with Carson quarterback Chris Fields, III and transfer wide receiver Jordin Daniel, who came off sitting out the 30-day period.\
Fields completed 14 of 20 passes for 265 yards and four touchdowns with two of those TD’s and 135 yards to Daniel. Daniel caught eight of those passes.
The combination quickly went to work for the Colts’ first touchdown. Later in the first quarter, Carson’s defense got into the act when Curmon Williams scored on a 52-yard fumble recovery for a 14-0 lead.
The Panthers were able to settle things down, behind senior quarterback Kevin Martinez, who keyed Gardena’s win over the Pilots a week earlier. After a drive highlighted by his runs of seven, 13 and 56 yards, Martinez scored Gardena’s first TD on a 2-yard run cutting the Colts’ lead to 14-6 in the second period.
Carson, however, poured it on the Panthers from there. Fields completed three passes to Daniel, then had a 25-yard run setting up a 3-yard scoring run from running back Xavier Allen. The Colts took a 28-6 shortly before halftime on a 25-yard slant pass from Fields to Daniel.
In the second half, Fields added two more touchdown passes; one from 23 yards to Darren Panton and other of 84 yards to Nathan Williams for a 42-6 lead. Carson added one more TD.
Gardena scored two fourth quarter TDs on passes by sophomore quarterback Cecilio James. His first went to Tashir Richardson of 10 yards and 72 yards to Caleb Morris.
Gardena hopes to get back on the winning track as it visits Narbonne High in Harbor City Friday at 7:30 p.m. The Gauchos are currently faced with a postseason suspension after the scandal marred by numerous illegal transfers from last season that saw Narbonne unofficially win the CIF-L.A. City Section by rolling over Marine League rival San Pedro 75-31 before forfeiting it and six other victories in the scandal. The Gauchos are in their first of their three-season postseason suspension. Losing virtually all its players from the scandal, Narbonne is 0-7 overall and 0-2 in league. The Gauchos had a bye last week after a 48-12 loss to the Pirates on Oct. 3 as San Pedro avenged that big 2024 championship loss. The City championship, however, was vacated. It is the second time that Narbonne forfeited a City final, the other being in 2018 in an earlier scandal against East L.A. Garfield.
Carson will have its annual traditional rivalry at home against Banning at the same time.
