Hawthorne Clinches Tie for League Title : Andre Jackson Rushes for 115 Yards, 2 Touchdowns in 15-6 Win

Senior running back Andre Jackson, held to 44 yards in the first half, sliced over from six yards out with 3:14 left to play for his second touchdown of the game to give Hawthorne a 15-6 victory over host North Torrance Friday night and all but guarantee the Cougars the Bay League title.

The worst Hawthorne could do is tie for the championship. But for that to happen, North Torrance would have to beat Inglewood, and Hawthorne would have to lose to Torrance (3-6).

Hawthorne, ranked fourth in the Northwestern Conference with an 8-0-1 record, and ninth-ranked North Torrance (5-4) played to a 6-6 tie last season, and it looked as if this game was headed in the same direction.

Hawthorne scored on its second possession of the game, Jackson going in from nine yards out on a sweep to the left with 7:40 remaining in the first quarter. Glenn Noya’s extra-point attempt was blocked.

But North Torrance came back to tie it by halftime, 6-6, as junior Jeff Hughes kicked field goals of 43 and 37 yards.

From there, however, the game took a turn, with both teams reverting to early-season games. That worked well for Hawthorne, but not for North Torrance.

The Saxons’ success in the first half came with protection from the offensive line, led by Jim Tulette and Todd Sprosky, and the passing of quarterback Mike Jurado, who had a 300-yard performance last week against Torrance.

Friday, Jurado completed 10 of 20 attempts for 136 yards through the first two quarters. That was a change from the first few games of the season, when it was possible to count the number of passes in a half on one hand.

Going without the shotgun formation for the second half, they were shut out and rarely in Hawthorne territory as Jurado threw only four more passes, three of which were incomplete, before a late rally. He finished with 15 of 31 for 187 yards and 1 interception, junior Roger Morris catching 6 for 122 yards.

Hawthorne, meanwhile, took a 9-6 lead on Noya’s 27-yard field goal with 9:13 to play in the third quarter and then held on.

It certainly helped to have Jackson turn his first-half performance around to finish with 21 carries for 115 yards. He also had a 69-yard touchdown burst called back with 22 seconds left in the third period when Hawthorne’s Brian Church was penalized for punching a North Torrance player.