Prep Football Games to Watch : Long Beach Poly Gets Banning on Rebound

The neighborhood football rivalry between L.A. Banning and Long Beach Poly High Schools has been hot and heavy in recent years, but Banning Coach Chris Ferragamo says his Pilots (1-1) will need a major surge in concentration and spirit to stay with the Jackrabbits (2-0) Saturday at Long Beach’s Veterans Stadium. Kickoff is set for 1:30 p.m.

Banning is coming off a 27-11 defeat at the hands of Huntington Beach Edison, its worst loss in several years. The Pilots are an inexperienced team without the breakaway threat of previous years but Ferragamo said lack of concentration was the culprit last week.

Poly’s outstanding defense has allowed only a field goal in two games. Michael Herring is still learning the ropes at quarterback, but the Jackrabbits may have discovered a new star in junior running back Leonard (Eight Ball) Russell, who had 141 yards rushing in the first half last week against Whittier. Chris Roscoe added 64 yards in 6 carries.

Carson (1-1) vs. Torrance Bishop Montgomery (3-0) at El Camino College, Saturday night--Bishop Montgomery is the first Southern Section team in the South Bay to schedule Carson in 13 years, and the Knights may have picked the right time. They have scored 57 points while the defense, led by linebacker Ken Sale and lineman John Stangl, has allowed only 14. Quarterback Todd Viter will have to be able to pass to keep Carson’s defense honest. The Colts are coming off a 9-7 loss to Santa Fe Springs St. Paul in which they fumbled seven times.

San Marino (2-0) vs. Glendale Hoover (3-0) at Glendale High School, tonight--Hoover has looked impressive in winnings its first three games by a combined score of 103-38. But San Marino will be a tough test, especially the defense, which has allowed only seven points so far. Quarterback John Alaimo, running back Al Roberson and wide receiver Tom Konjoyan are the offensive standouts for Hoover.

Mission Hills Alemany (3-0) at Downey Pius X (3-0), Friday night--Pius X, coming off a 23-7 win over Paramount, used to be a big rival of Alemany when the teams were in the Camino Real League, but the Warriors are now in the Angelus League and Alemany is in the Del Rey. This season, Alemany’s defense is giving up an average of only 47 yards a game rushing and 121 overall. The Indians have given up just 17 points in three games and have recorded two shutouts. Alemany quarterback Sean Casey has passed for 492 yards and three touchdowns.

Culver City (2-0-1) at Lawndale Leuzinger (3-0), Friday night--Culver City, not highly regarded in preseason polls, pulled off two quick victories before being held to a 3-3 tie last week by Manhattan Beach Mira Costa. Leuzinger, the top-ranked team in the Desert-Mountain Conference, has two shutouts. Quarterback Mike Reddington, who passed for four touchdowns last week against Inglewood, and his favorite target, Sean Smith, lead Leuzinger’s offense.

Montebello (3-0) at Bell Gardens (2-1), Friday night--This year’s Whitmont League opener between district rivals has added pressure because the teams have emerged as co-favorites for the league title. Bell Gardens quarterback Javier Fimbres has thrown for 475 yards and 7 touchdowns, and has rushed for 83 yards and 2 scores. Montebello quarterback Frank Rodriguez has completed 78% of his passes. Bell Gardens has won seven of the last eight games between the schools.

Canoga Park (2-0) vs. Rowland (3-0) at Nogales High, Friday night--This game pits a good City Section team against a good Southern Section team. Canoga Park is ranked No. 6 in The Times’ City poll and Rowland is rated fifth in the Southern Conference of the Southern Section. Canoga Park is headed by Kenny Durr, speedy senior running back who rushed for 91 yards and caught 3 passes for 79 yards in last week’s 23-20 win over Cleveland. He has scored five touchdowns this season. Two other leaders for the Hunters are wide receiver Mike Conover and defensive back Junior Delgado, who has four interceptions. Rowland relies heavily on the rushing combination of running backs Russ Goo and Tom Choi, who together are averaging nearly 150 yards a game rushing.

Hawthorne (3-0) at Bellflower (3-0), Friday night--With just 24 players on the roster, Bellflower Coach Clay Odell admits he’s trying to make the best of what’s available. So far, things have been working well. Quarterback Mike Lemanski ha s thrown for 487 yards, rushed for another 153 and accounted for 6 touchdowns. Bellflower appeared in the Southern Section rankings for the first time in years this week, making into the No. 9 spot in the Central Conference. Hawthorne, No. 4 in the Northwestern Conference, is bigger and has greater speed than Bellflower, thanks in large part to a two-time defending state championship track team that supplied several of the team’s key players this fall. Alonzo Young, one of the sprinters, is expected to start at quarterback.