After enjoying a season where it made the CIF-Southern Section Division IV playoffs last season, the North Torrance High boys’ soccer team is faced with rebuilding as it is 0-3 after falling at home to Peninsula 4-1 last Friday.
The Panthers got off to a quick start scoring three goals in just about the first 20 minutes and the Saxons were in a deep hole.
North got on the scoreboard late in the first half on a long shot by Malik Branche that went into the net, catching the Peninsula goalkeeper off guard, cutting the Panthers’ lead to 3-1.
After enjoying a season where it made the CIF-Southern Section Division IV playoffs last season, the North Torrance High boys’ soccer team is faced with rebuilding as it is 0-3 after falling at home to Peninsula 4-1 last Friday.
The Panthers got off to a quick start scoring three goals in just about the first 20 minutes and the Saxons were in a deep hole.
North got on the scoreboard late in the first half on a long shot by Malik Branche that went into the net, catching the Peninsula goalkeeper off guard, cutting the Panthers’ lead to 3-1.
Conner Verrisett scored Peninsula’s final score in the match where all of the scoring was in the first half.
“We’re mostly underclassmen this year,” North head coach Robert Rivas said. “About two-thirds of our team are sophomores and juniors. We also have a slew of injuries. In the second half, we were competitive against Peninsula.”
According to Rivas, senior center-midfielder Don Ortega, junior center-defender Gelvin Estrada and junior Arturo Yepez are top players.
North also has sophomore Charles Junes, Branch and sophomore stopper Nicolas Kaneshiro. Junior Drake Hai starts at goalkeeper.
Rivas feels that the Saxons will be competitive in the Pioneer League, which should be led South Torrance, who many feel will be the favorite to win the league, along with West Torrance and Torrance.
The Panthers’ win over North upped their record to 5-0 and they should be in the thick of the Bay League race, which is led by powerhouse Palos Verdes, Mira Costa and Redondo.
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Serra Boys’ Basketball
Serra loses three of four at Beverly Hills
By Joe Snyder
Sports Editor
Despite starting the season 1-4, Serra High’s boys’ basketball team is still looking to find the key to get a banner season to commemorate the late head coach Dwan Hurt, who passed away in his sleep on Nov. 25.
Interim Cavalier head coach Bernard McCrumby, who assisted Hurt over the past nine seasons, is still trying to find winning ways for Serra, which captured the CIF-Southern Section Division IVAA championship last season and return three starters.
Unfortunately, Serra lost three of four games in last week’s Beverly Hills Tournament. In the first round on Dec. 5, the Cavaliers were pitted against a very good Birmingham High team, that already won the highly regarded Redondo Pacific Shores Tournament title over fellow CIF-Los Angeles City Section power Westchester on Nov. 26, and the Patriots proved overwhelming in their 92-58 rout. If there was a win dedicated to Hurt, Serra picked up its first victory of the season in the consolation quarterfinals over Venice 64-47 on Dec. 7. Last Friday, Serra lost a 51-48 decision to Brentwood, then fell in overtime to Windward 61-59 on Saturday.
Ray Knight led the Cavaliers with 16 points in their loss to the Wildcats from Mar Vista. Sophomore Doctor Bradley added 12 points.
Jackson led Serra with 18 points in its loss to Brentwood, which a week earlier won the Mira Costa Pacific Shores Tournament championship by routing West Torrance 68-45. Ray Knight chipped in 12 points.
K night led the Cavaliers with 20 points in their win over the Gondoliers.
Serra begins play in the Mission Prep Tournament in San Luis Obispo Monday. The classic runs through Dec. 23.
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Jackson wins Thorpe Award as top defensive back
By Joe Snyder
Sports Editor
Former Serra High football and track and field standout Adoree Jackson of the University of Southern California won the Jim Thorpe Award for the top college defensive back, announced last Thursday.
Jackson defeated other finalists in University of Michigan’s Jourdan Lewis and Tre’Davious of Louisiana State University for the award.
He was the second USC player to capture the award; the other being safety Mark Carrier in 1989.
Jackson finished the regular season with 51 tackles, four interceptions and 11 pass break-ups in 12 games. He also returned several kickoff and punt returns for touchdowns and is an outstanding receiver.
Jackson’s best game was in the Trojans’ regular season non-league finale against Notre Dame on Nov. 26 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. He returned a kickoff and punt return for touchdowns and had a 52-yard TD reception in keying USC to a 45-27 win over the Fighting Irish. He was just the fourth player in Major Division I college football to score touchdowns in all three of these categories. He has two kickoff and two punt returns for TD’s this season.
Over the past two seasons, Jackson, a junior, played on offense and defense. As a sophomore in 2015, Jackson caught 27 passes for 414 yards and two touchdowns.
This year, Jackson played mostly defense, although, once in awhile, he saw action on offense.
Along with the Thorpe Award, Jackson also received the Maxwell Award for being the top college football player. He was also on the Walter Camp All-American first-team.
Jackson was a candidate for the Heisman Trophy but that went to University of Louisville quarterback Lamar Jackson.
Jackson, who graduated from Serra in 2014, was an all-American wide receiver and defensive b back with the Cavaliers. As a junior in the 2012 season, he keyed Serra to CIF-Southern Section Western Division and CIF-State Division II crowns. He was a five-star recruit.
In track and field, Jackson was a California State long jump champion, as a junior, and had a personal best mark of 25 feet, 10 inches at the event. He also ran as fast as 10.44 seconds in the 100-meter dash, and keyed the Cavaliers’ 4×100-meter relay team to the state title in 2014. He was a big part of Serra’s 2013 state track and field championship squad.
Jackson is also a key member of USC’s men’s track and field team.
Jackson is expected to be a highly regarded candidate for a first round draft choice in the National Football League, if he opts out of his senior season for the draft which is expected to take place in April.
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Sports Scoop
Hurt was very active at Serra
By Joe Snyder
Sports Editor
Serra High head boys’ basketball coach Dwan Hurt was more than just a mentor for the Cavaliers.
He was also the dean of students for the past several years at Serra and was known for his outstanding ability in disciplining both his players and the rest of the student body.
Just a week before the Cavaliers, who won the CIF-Southern Section Division IVAA championship last season, were to start their season at Inglewood High, Hurt died in his sleep on Nov. 25 at the age of 53.
In his 27 seasons as head mentor, Hurt guided Serra to 16 league titles, eight CIF-Southern Section crowns and two California state championships.
After graduating from Serra in 1981, Hurt went on to play basketball at El Camino and L.A. Harbor Community Colleges, before his final two seasons at Gonzaga University in Spokane, Wash. He was a reserve guard to eventual National Basketball Association Hall of Famer John Stockton but Hurt started in half of Gonzaga’s games as a junior and 25 of the 28 contests as a senior.
In 1987, Hurt returned to Serra High as an assistant to George McDaniel. After McDaniel stepped down two years later, Hurt was promoted to head coach. He continued the success of Serra boys’ basketball during his 27 seasons that included state championships in 1993 (Division IV) and 2010 (Division III).
Hurt’s death was the second over a 10-day period in Serra High’s somber November. On Nov. 15, Serra’s No. 1 fan, Alfred Burke passed away at the age of 92 at Torrance Memorial Hospital. Burke attended various Serra High athletic events, especially football, basketball and baseball, where one would hear his famous saying, “Let’s go Serra!”
St. Catherine-Labour Church in North Torrance hosted both of their funerals two weeks apart. It was the day after Hurt’s death on Nov. 26 was the service for Burke.
At Hurt’s funeral last Saturday, announcements were made that the Serra gymnasium will be renamed the Dwan Hurt Memorial Gymnasium and a seat that Burke sat in at Serra’s Athletic Stadium will be the Burke Memorial Seat.
Both will be missed at Serra but many will feel the spirit of Burke and Hurt all over the Gardena Catholic school campus.
Gardena takes seventh at El Rancho: Gardena High’s boys’ basketball team evened its record to 4-4 after defeating Garfield 71-49 for seventh place at the El Rancho Blue Pride Tournament last Saturday in Pico Rivera.
The Panthers began the classic on Dec. 5 with a 62-50 win over Bell Gardens. A day later, Los Altos, one of the top teams in Southern California, blew away Gardena 98-55. On Dec. 9, the Panthers fell short of Montebello 44-39.
Gardena began the Marine League at Carson last Monday and will host King-Drew Medical Magnet tonight at 7 p.m.
North wins Artesia consolation: North Torrance High’s boys’ basketball team is off to a good start at 6-2 after winning the consolation title of the Artesia Tournament last week in Lakewood.
After losing its first game to La Serna of Whittier 81-76 on Dec. 6, the Saxons bounced back with wins over Tustin (67-51 last Thursday), Garden Grove Santiago (105-68 Friday) and San Gabriel Gabrielino (72-62 Saturday).
The Saxons visit Carson in non-league play Friday at 7 p.m.
Narbonne falls in regional: Narbonne High’s football team was able to rally from a 28-7 deficit to tie host San Diego Cathedral Catholic 28-28 late in the fourth quarter, but Cathedral scored the winning touchdown with 1:01 left in the game and the Gauchos were eliminated 35-28 last Friday.
Cathedral led 28-7 with 6:37 left in the third quarter but Narbonne, which ended its season at 14-1, came back with three unanswered touchdowns, the tying one when quarterback Jalen Chatman connected with Tyrone Marshall from 13 yards out with three minutes remaining.
Running back Shawn Puma, who rushed for 185 yards and three TD’s on 25 carries, had the winning score on a 25-yard run.
The Gauchos were led by running back Cameron Denmark who rushed for 90 yards and one touchdown. Chatman had two TD passes and ran for another.
