Who’s at center?

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The offensive line is at the center of a rash of early-season injuries for Gardena Serra.

When the Cavaliers (3-1) suffered their first loss, a 20-13 setback at Redondo last week, they were on their third center in four weeks after senior Rudy Gomez first suffered a torn left patella and junior Darrell Allen went down with a bruised medial collateral ligament.

Then against the Sea Hawks (2-2), junior Sia Veikoso suffered a badly sprained right ankle and is wearing a boot brace after moving from tackle to center to replace Allen.

‘It’s kind of funny,’ Coach Scott Altenberg said. ‘The kids are all afraid to go to center, like it’s some kind of a curse. They’re all like, ‘Not me, Coach.’’

Gomez is expected to be sidelined several more weeks. It is hoped that Veikoso can be back in time for next week’s game against Cathedral.

Allen, a guard who moved to center to fill in for Gomez, has been cleared to play against visiting South Torrance on Friday, and is expected to make a go of it even if he is not quite back to full strength.

‘He can go. It’s just kind of a matter of what he can stand as far as the pain,’ Altenberg said.

- Lauren Peterson