It was last season that Serra High’s football team rolled over Mission League rival Chaminade, 36-0, in league play only to see the Eagles bounce back with a come-from-behind 38-35 victory over the nationally ranked Cavaliers to pull off the CIF-Southern Section Western Division crown and go on to win the California State Division II championship.
This year, the two teams continue to be in the Mission, only to be vaunted up to the prestigious Southern Section PAC Five that also include powers Alemany, Bishop Amat, Crespi, Loyola and Sherman Oaks Notre Dame.
It was last season that Serra High’s football team rolled over Mission League rival Chaminade, 36-0, in league play only to see the Eagles bounce back with a come-from-behind 38-35 victory over the nationally ranked Cavaliers to pull off the CIF-Southern Section Western Division crown and go on to win the California State Division II championship.
This year, the two teams continue to be in the Mission, only to be vaunted up to the prestigious Southern Section PAC Five that also include powers Alemany, Bishop Amat, Crespi, Loyola and Sherman Oaks Notre Dame.
Last Friday (on Halloween night), Serra played its first home game in five weeks but had to struggle to get by rival Chaminade, 41-28. The Cavaliers were trailing 14-6 after the first quarter and 28-27 at halftime before coming back to outscore the Eagles, 13-0, in the second half.
Serra’s win kept the squad in a three-way tie for the Mission lead with Bishop Amat and Crespi.
As it has been all year, senior quarterback Khalil Tate continued his outstanding showing with his arm and legs to key the Cavaliers (7-2 overall and 5-1 in league). Tate rushed for 218 yards and one touchdown on 13 carries and completed six of 14 passes for 121 yards and four touchdowns.
Serra began the scoring on a 15-yard touchdown from Darion Naylor that was quickly followed by a 90-yard kickoff return from T.J. Brock and a 4-yard TD run by Okalani Taufamemi-langi that gave Chaminade, which already finished its regular season at 5-5 overall and 1-5 in Mission action due to a final week bye, a surprising 14-6 advantage after the first period.
Serra, however, had no worries as it seems to always knows how to come back.
Just 10 seconds into the second quarter, Tate ran for a 41-yard score that was followed by a two-point conversion run from running back Malik Roberson, who, after the game, committed to playing football at San Jose State University, tied the game at 14.
On the Cavaliers’ next drive, Tate completed his first of two TD passes to duo wide receiver-quarterback Caleb Wilson from 28 yards out to give Serra a 21-14 lead with 8:39 left before halftime.
The wild second period, though, continued with the Eagles tying the game on a 3-yard touchdown run by running back T.J. Pledger, but Serra returned to a 27-21 advantage on a 12-yard scoring pass from Tate to Tyreon Rankins with 32 seconds before intermission. The point after touchdown attempt by Erick Escamilla fell wide to the right.
For the second time, Chaminade came back with a kickoff return for a TD, this time of 85 yards by Isaiah Thomas. The PAT by Ben Kreitenberg was good and the Eagles took a 28-27 edge.
Things, however, changed in the second half as the Eagles were shut down and Serra scored two touchdowns, one in each quarter. The third period TD was an 18-yard pass from Tate to Wilson that was followed by Roberson’s second two-point conversion run that gave the Cavaliers a 35-28 lead.
Serra got insurance with 11:03 remaining in the game when Tate found Burnett from 10 yards out. Escamilla missed the extra point as he converted on just two of four attempts.
“It was a battle,” Serra head coach Scott Altenberg said. “This is a very good football league. If Chaminade (which is out of playoff contention) was in any other division, it would be top seed. One of the biggest problems was that we didn’t finish. It was uncharacterized.”
Defensively, Alphonso Lester and Cameron Hayes had one interception apiece.
The Cavaliers hope to pull off the league title and get a home field advantage in the first round of the PAC Five playoffs as they host last place Loyola (3-6, 0-6) Friday at 7 p.m.
___________
Roberson commits to SJS
By Joe Snyder
Sports Editor
Serra High standout running back Malik Roberson committed to playing football at San Jose State University beginning next fall right after the Cavaliers’ game against Chaminade last Friday at Serra.
Two years ago, Roberson had a stellar sophomore year rushing for more than 1,500 yards in keying the Cavaliers to the CIF-Southern Section Western Division and California State Division II championships.
He was named to the sophomore all-American team by MaxPreps.
“I’m looking forward to playing at San Jose State,” Roberson said following Serra’s 41-28 win over last year’s CIF-Southern Section Western Division and California State Division II champion Chaminade from West Hills. “I’m concerned about their future.”
San Jose State plays in the Mountain West Conference. He is expected to play running back for the Spartans.
Being also a standout sprinter-long jumper on the Cavaliers’ track and field program, Roberson is also seeking to join San Jose State’s track and field squad.
Roberson had two two-point conversion runs in Serra’s win over the Eagles on Halloween night.
He hopes to get Serra a league title and, possibly, a championship in the rigorous CIF-Southern Section PAC Five and California State Open Divisions.
“We can do anything if we keep playing Serra football,” Roberson said.
The Cavaliers will, no doubt, have to get through nationally ranked and top seed Bellflower St. John Bosco, along with other top Trinity League rivals San Juan Capistrano Junipero Serra, Santa Ana Mater Dei and Anaheim Servite, along with Moore League power Long Beach Poly and Inland Empire and Big VIII power Corona Centennial for any hopes at those crowns.
As in the recent past, Concord De La Salle and Folsom are top Northern California powers.
________
Three quarterback strategy fails for El Camino
By Joe Snyder
Sports Editor
El Camino College’s football team used three different quarterbacks but it could not get past host Chaffey College in a 36-25 National Central Conference loss last Saturday in Rancho Cucamonga.
Most used of the quarterbacks was former Narbonne High standout Eban Jackson who entered in the second quarter. He completed eight of 19 passes for 103 yards and one interception. Jackson, though, scored on a 19-yard run that cut Chaffey’s lead to 13-10 in the second period but Chaffey scored 23 unanswered points to pull out to a 33-10 bulge by the end of the third period.
Notch (West Torrance, 2013) started completing 10 of 16 passes for 72 yards but was replaced by Jackson.
Trailing 36-17 midway in the fourth quarter, former North Torrance standout Jorge Hernandez replaced Jackson and completed a 19-yard scoring pass to Nicholas Roos, another ex-West player, that was followed by a two-point conversion for the eventual final score.
ECC plays its final home game against powerful Mt. San Antonio College at Redondo High Saturday at 4 p.m. It is also the Warriors’ homecoming game. Mt. SAC continued to be dominant as it rolled over Los Angeles Harbor College, 62-14, last Saturday at Mt. SAC in Walnut.
Gardena finally scores in loss: After being crushed by top Marine League teams Carson (64-0 on Oct. 17) and Narbonne (65-0 on Oct. 24), Gardena High’s football team played a little better and had its first touchdown in league in a 42-7 home loss to San Pedro last Thursday.
The Pirates dominated the Panthers but Gardena scored in the fourth quarter on a 20-yard pass from quarterback Marvell Beroit to all-around player Michael Thompson.
San Pedro, which improved to 8-1 overall and 3-1 in Marine action, was led by Estaban Garcia with four touchdowns.
The win sets a stage for a league finale showdown at home against Marine leader Carson, which topped Narbonne 39-35 last Friday at Carson, Friday at 7 p.m. seeking a possible three-way tie for the league championship with the Colts and Gauchos.
After scoring the TD, Gardena hopes for better things, possibly closing the season with a win, as it hosts Washington (2-7, 0-4) at the same time.
Carson takes Marine League after showdown win: After losing to Narbonne in their Marine League rivalry showdown, Carson High’s football team finally came out on top with a 39-35 win over the Gauchos last Friday at Carson.
In a see-saw battle, the Colts scored the winning touchdown when Brandon Hasson scored on a 32-yard screen pass from quarterback Kiki Flores with 3:05 to go in the game.
Narbonne (5-4, 3-1) took a 35-31 lead just a short time earlier on Sean Riley’s 60-yard TD run.
Carson is 4-0 in league and 7-2 overall.
The Gauchos visit Banning Friday at 7 p.m.
In a key Pioneer League game, host West Torrance overcame a 12-0 halftime deficit to defeat cross town rival South Torrance, 31-12, last Friday.
In other Pioneer contests, North Torrance downed Leuzinger, 35-20, on Friday and Torrance shut out host Centennial, 23-0, last Thursday in Compton.
West visits Torrance and South hosts North in big league showdowns Friday at 7 p.m.
