Football: Feeling Locked down

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Locke is in the midst of a three-week layoff caused by a scheduling snafu, and Saints Coach Wayne Crawford said he worries that the long break could have repercussions when his team resumes play Oct. 3 at San Pedro.

‘This is the scariest thing in my life right now,’ Crawford said. ‘I worry about how we’re going to respond. I think mentally our guys will be up to the challenge, but San Pedro keeps playing and getting better every week.’

Locke’s layoff is the result of Crawford’s attempt to schedule a rematch against Los Alamitos, which defeated the Saints, 14-6, in 2005. To play the Griffins, Locke had to get out of a game against Eagle Rock. But by the time it happened, Los Alamitos had already agreed to play Fremont, leaving Crawford in scramble mode.

Crawford said he was able to track down a replacement in Pasadena Blair, but City Section officials told him it was too late to put that game on his schedule. San Pedro, which improved to 2-0 last week with a 12-0 victory over Palos Verdes and plays at Garfield on Friday, will have played two games to Locke’s none over the same period by the time it plays host to the Saints (1-1).

‘I’ve known we’ve needed a game since late May, early June,’ Crawford said. ‘It’s pretty much our own fault.’

--Ben Bolch