By Joe Snyder
Gardena High’s football team was unable to keep up with Santa Monica in a 35-14 intersectional non-league loss last Thursday at Gardena.
The Panthers took an 8-7 first quarter lead on a one-yard touchdown run by Akiah Brown, followed by his two-point conversion pass reception from quarterback Omar Figueroa.
A more balanced Viking team, from there, proved too much for Gardena in scoring three unanswered TDs to take a 28-8 lead in the third period. Behind the passing of senior quarterback Eliot Bingener, who replaced standout Wyatt Brown who transferred to Laguna Beach High, he had two scoring passes, one to tight end George Frank for 60 yards that gave Santa Monica a 21-8 halftime lead, and another to freshman wide receiver Chadler Paysinger for a 20-point lead with 7:04 left in the third quarter.
The Panthers cut the Vikings’ lead to 28-14 with 3:51 remaining in the third period on a 30-yard touchdown pass from Figueroa to senior wide receiver Braylon Williams but Santa Monica put the game away with 35 seconds to go in the game when tailback Saul Buendia scored on a 14-yard run.
“We lacked execution,” Gardena head coach Terrence Williams said. “We are still building as a team. The players must be at the right place and be considerate. We got to keep growing.”
The Panthers, who are 1-3, complete non-league action at Dominguez High in Compton Friday at 7 p.m. before beginning the rigorous Marine League at Banning High in Wilmington on Oct. 3 at the same time. Last Friday, the Pilots (3-1) lost their first game of the season to a powerful Palos Verdes team 52-0 at Palos Verdes and they host Redondo (1-3), which came off its first victory over Orange 14-12 last Friday at Redondo, Friday at 7 p.m.
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Serra snaps losing streak by topping Oaks Chr.
Like in other several seasons, Serra High’s football team played a very rigid preseason schedule in splitting its first four games.
After three-touchdown losses to Los Alamitos and Orange Lutheran, the Cavaliers, who were shorthanded playing without standouts, running back Devohn Moutra, Jr., and wide receiver Jayshawn Edwards (both out with injuries), managed to top Westlake Village Oaks Christian 19-10 in a non-league game last Friday at El Camino College.
Serra stormed back cutting Oaks Christian’s lead to 7-6 on a 49-yard run from junior running back Treyvon Hundley, who replaced Moutra. After a bad snap, the run fell short.
The Lions padded their lead to 10-6 on a 25-yard field goal by kicker Sonny Jones with 9:01 remaining in the second period but the Cavaliers came back and took the lead for good at 12-10 on a 6-yard TD run by Daylawn Reed. Freshman kicker Jovany Barragan, who replaced injured Nathan Altenberg, saw his point-after-touchdown attempt narrowly fall wide left.
Reed scored his second touchdown on an 8-yard run with 1:33 to go before halftime. Barragan made the extra point in what would be the final score.
Both defenses took over the scoreless second half but preseason all-American defensive tackle Khary Wilder made several key tackles to end Oaks Christian’s threats.
“We hope to keep the momentum,” Wilder said. “We came off two losses. It was a good game and a great battle.”
Reed sparked Serra’s offense running for 114 yards and two touchdowns on 21 carries.
“Oaks Christian was good up front,” Serra head coach Scott Altenberg said. “We did not beat ourselves like we did in the last two games. We were better today but not perfect.”
The Cavaliers have a much-needed bye week because they begin the Mission League at nationally ranked Sierra Canyon (eighth in the United States by MaxPreps) in Chatsworth on Oct. 3 at 7 p.m. The Trailblazers, in fact, are coming off a 41-9 rout of Orange Lutheran, a team that defeated Serra 35-14 on Sept. 12 at Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa. Serra has yet to beat Sierra Canyon in their last few years of playing each other in Mission play.
“We’ll have to play out of our mind to beat Sierra Canyon,” Scott Altenberg said.
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North rallies to outlast Carson in double OT
North Torrance High’s football team finished non-league play at 4-1 after rallying for a thrilling 42-35 overtime victory over host Carson last Thursday.
Quarterback Ethan Edwards scored the winning touchdown on a 23-yard run in the second extra period enabling the Saxons to pull out the game.
Edwards, a senior bound for Utah Tech University next season, also threw for three TD passes after throwing two interceptions in the first half. Edwards completed 14 of 26 passes after going only 4-for-11 in the first half. Edwards also rushed for two touchdowns.
The Colts, who came into the game ranked second in the CIF-Los Angeles City Section behind top-ranked Lake Balboa Birmingham according to MaxPreps, led North 21-7 late in the second quarter but the Saxons came back to tie the game at 28 by the end of regulation.
North scored 14 unanswered points to knot the game at 21 after three quarters before Carson grabbed a 28-21 lead early in the fourth period on a 15-yard scoring run by running back Zach Brock.
Edwards tied the game on a 9-yard touchdown run with 3:39 left in regulation.
Edwards started North’s second-half scoring on a 72-yard TD pass to wide receiver Kchole Mataele-Juarez that tied the game at 21.
Wide receiver King Shelton had seven receptions for 93 yards and two touchdowns.
Both teams exchanged touchdowns in the first overtime period before Edwards’ winning score in the second extra period. The Saxons were able to hold down the Colts in that period.
For Carson (3-2), quarterback Chris Fields III completed 10 of 19 passes for 128 yards and two TDs.
North has a bye week before opening the Pioneer League, which should be very competitive, at home against an improved Santa Monica team on Oct. 3 at 7 p.m. The Vikings finished non-league at 3-2 after downing host Gardena 35-14 last Thursday. It appears that the Saxons, who already won three straight Pioneer titles, will be involved in a close race with Torrance, Redondo, and Santa Monica in league play.
Carson visits St. Pius X-St. Matthias Academy in Downey Friday at 7 p.m. before beginning the Marine League at Gardena on Oct. 9 at 4 p.m.
Torrance is 5-0 in non-league play after a key 35-24 non-league win over El Segundo last Friday at Zamperini Field.
The Tartars have a bye week this week in preparation for a tough Pioneer League opening game at Redondo on Oct. 3 at 7 p.m. The Sea Hawks, who struggled in their first three games due to some key injuries (including star wide receiver-defensive back Bo Ausmus) and a pair of transfers waiting to become eligible, picked up their first win at 14-12 at home against Orange High last Friday. Redondo is 1-3 after the win. Last year, the Sea Hawks rolled over the host Tartars 35-7.
West Torrance recorded an impressive 33-27 win at Cypress High last Friday.
The Warriors (2-2) will seek their third win as they host cross town rival South Torrance Friday at 7 p.m.
The Spartans improved to 2-2 after crushing host Hawthorne 48-0 last Friday.
Narbonne, which is ineligible for the playoffs over the next three seasons and lost virtually all its players due to the scandal caused by illegal recruiting from last year, is 0-5 after falling to Santa Paula last Thursday.
The Gauchos host King-Drew Medical Magnet High in their final non-league game Friday at 7 p.m. before opening the Marine League at home against San Pedro, a team it routed 75-31 in the CIF-L.A. City Section Open Division championship game before forfeiting it due to several ineligible players used, on Oct. 3 at the same time.
