By Joe Snyder
Running back Xavier Grant scored two third-quarter touchdowns as Gardena High’s football team came from behind to outlast Dominguez High from Compton 33-27 in intersectional non-league play last Friday at Gardena.
With the win, the Panthers remained unbeaten at 5-0 entering Friday’s homecoming intersectional non-league finale against Jurupa Hills from Fontana, starting at 7 p.m.
With the game tied at 20 at halftime, the Dons, who fell to 2-3, began the second half with an 88-yard kickoff return by speedster Jaquory Watson for a touchdown for a 27-20 lead.
From there, Gardena drove down the field 60 yards that was capped by a 15-yard TD run by Grant cutting the Dominguez lead to one point as a fake two-point conversion attempt by Andrew Aldona fell short with 7:36 left in the third quarter.
Grant scored his fourth touchdown of the game on a 20-yard run that gave the Panthers a 33-27 lead as kicker Omar Villarrel connected on the point after touchdown with 1:14 remaining in the third period.
Both teams threatened to take the lead in the fourth quarter with the biggest being by the Panthers. It appeared that Aldona was headed for a 35-yard scoring run as he was in the clear headed to the end zone. That’s when he fumbled the ball and fell on it at the Dominguez one-yard line. After being stopped on the next play, quarterback Isaiah Kim had his snap go over his head and the Dons recovered the ball at the six. Gardena’s defense had to go to work to stop Dominguez, which drove to about the 50 behind a 40-yard completed pass by quarterback Mikaele Fitu-Ahkai. On the next play, Aldono intercepted Ahkai’s pass as the Panthers ran down the clock.
“It was a good game,” Gardena head coach Monty Gilbreath said. “We made some key defensive plays.”
The Panthers opened the scoring in the first period on a 32-yard touchdown run by Grant but the Dons but, in the see-saw game, came back with TD run by Ahkai. Gardena, then, led 14-7 in the second quarter on a 9-yard scoring run from Grant before Dominguez came back with two Ahkai scores for a 20-14 lead. Gardena tied the game at 20 with 1:07 to go before halftime on a 60-yard touchdown pass from Kim to Dmaj Longley.
After the Panthers host Jurupa Hills on Friday, they begin the Marine League at home against Wilmington Banning, last year’s CIF-Los Angeles City Section Division I champion which is currently 3-2 after losing to host Redondo, led by recently eligible transfer quarterback Cole Leinart, 32-7 last Friday on Oct. 11 at 4 p.m. A week earlier, the Pilots stunned top CIF-Southern Section Bay League contender Palos Verdes 14-7 in Banning’s homecoming game. Banning is led by all-around player Steven Perez. Cole Leinart is the son of former University of Southern California and National Football League quarterback Matt Leinart.
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Serra rebounds to rout Los Alamitos
Before Serra High’s football team entered last Friday’s non-league showdown against host Los Alamitos at Westminster High, most of the observers had the Cavaliers, who were injury plagued in their loss at Oaks Christian High in Westlake Village on Sept. 20, as heavy underdogs against the Griffins.
That only got Serra players psyched up. They started fast and went on to rout Los Alamitos 42-7.
Behind senior quarterback Jimmy Butler, the Cavaliers stormed to a 35-0 halftime lead. Butler passed for three touchdowns as he completed 14 of 17 passes for his career best of 276 yards.
Wide receiver C.J. McBean caught two of those TD passes of 56 and 74 yards and as a defensive back, he had two interceptions.
Marcellous Ryan had a 25-yard interception return for a score as the Cavaliers (3-2) built a 28-0 lead midway in the second quarter. Tre Harrison made it 35-0 on a 24-yard touchdown run.
The Griffins’ University of California-bound quarterback Alonso Esparza was held to just two completions in six attempts for 10 yards.
John Ibara scored Los Alamitos’ only TD on a 12-yard run.
The Griffins were held to just 45 total offensive yards (27 rushing and 18 passing) in the first half.
It was a great tune-up for Serra, which begins the always rugged Mission League at Loyola High in Los Angeles Friday at 7 p.m.
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El Camino opens conference with win at Moorpark
El Camino College’s football team began the National-North Conference with a 52-41 win over host Moorpark College last Saturday.
In its second consecutive high scoring affair (a week earlier in the Warriors’ 70-45 loss to Riverside City College at ECC), El Camino led 24-14 after the first quarter, 38-20 at halftime as both teams finished the scoring in the third period. There was no scoring in the fourth quarter.
The Warriors used two quarterbacks in Tyler Karen and Hunter Herrera. Karen completed 14 of 21 passes for 173 yards and two touchdowns. Herrera completed all his three passes for 60 yards and one TD.
Takin Raye caught three passes for 84 yards and one touchdown and Elijah Holmes had three receptions for 65 yards and one TD.
Running back Jaden Moore led ECC’s rushing attack with 83 yards on 19 carries. Marcus Higgs ran for 47 yards and one touchdown on 13 carries. Jagger Tavai rushed for three short TD’s.
The Warriors, who improved to 2-2 overall, come home to face old-time rival Bakersfield College Saturday at 6 p.m.
Torrance High finished its non-league schedule unbeaten by hanging on for a 28-21 home win over Arcadia Rio Hondo Prep last Friday.
The Tartars continued to be led by University of Nevada-bound all-around player Jake Silverman who had a key tackle for a loss to stop a Rio Hondo drive and a reception from quarterback Gibson Turner for a touchdown.
Turner completed seven of 14 passes for 133 yards and two TDs, the other one being to Issac Mora.
Torrance is one of the top contenders for the Pioneer League crown but will open league very heavily tested at home against Redondo, which is 4-1 after a 32-7 home win over Wilmington Banning last Friday. The Sea Hawks welcomed the debut of junior transfer quarterback Cole Leinart, who passed for three touchdowns in their win over the Pilots, who were coming off a 14-7 home upset win over highly regarded Bay League contender Palos Verdes a week earlier. Cole is the son of former University of Southern California and National Football League quarterback Matt Leinart. Redondo’s only loss was to another key Bay League contender, Manhattan Beach Mira Costa, 14-13 on Sept. 6 at Mira Costa. Running back-defensive back Candace Turner is another player to watch for the Sea Hawks.
In other games involving local teams, Narbonne shut out Willowbrook-King Drew Medical Magnet 35-0 and West Torrance improved to 4-1 by routing crosstown rival South Torrance 41-6. The Gauchos host Banning High from Wilmington in a key test to open the Marine League Friday at 4:30 p.m. The Pilots are 3-2 after losing last Friday at Redondo 32-7, but have a key win over a very good Palos Verdes team from a week earlier at Banning. The Warriors open the Ocean League at home against Inglewood Morningside Friday at 7 p.m. The Monarchs are 1-4. Morningside is in its final school year as it closes in June 2025 after 74 years of operation.
North Torrance had a bye week as it begins the Pioneer League against Santa Monica High on Friday at 7 p.m. at Santa Monica City College.
