Football: Will Serra’s speed be the deciding factor?

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The first CIF state Division II south regional bow game takes place tonight at Orange Coast College and Gardena Serra enters as the favorite over host Huntington Beach Edison. On paper theseteams mirror each other. Both are physical on defense, both have survived demanding schedules and both are playing their best football of the season.

If either squad has a clear advantage it’s in the speed category. Serra has loads of it, beginning in the backfield where dual-threat quarterback Jalen Greene and tailback Malik Roberson lurk. Greene has passed for 22 touchdowns and run for eight more. Roberson has 1,372 yards and 13 touchdowns and averages 9.87 yards per carry.

Then there’s the Cavaliers’ talented quartet of receivers to worry about. Anterio Bateman (31 catches for 305 yards), Darrell Fuery (31 for 609), Marques Rodgers (16 for 281) and Adoree’ Jackson (24 for 449) have accounted for 18 of Serra’s 22 receiving touchdowns. Edison is all that stands between the Cavaliers and their third state bowl berth in four seasons. The Cavaliers have victories over Pac-5 winner Long Beach Poly and Pac-5 quarterfinalist Sherman Oaks Notre Dame and their only defeats are to L.A. City Section champion Narbonne and Chaminade, the second of which was avenged in the Western Division finals last week.

Southwest Division champion Edison (13-1) has allowed only 90 points with five shutouts but it can also score on the arm of senior quarterback Aleksander Torgersen, who has passed for 2,242 yards and 17 touchdowns. His primary targets are receivers Trevor Borkowski (43 catches for 729 yards) and Michael Stepancich (25 for 326). The Chargers’ only loss was to Pac-5 finalist Mater Dei.

Kickoff is 20 minutes away so stay logged on for scoring updates throughout the game.

-- Steve Galluzzo