Prep Football Games to Watch : St. Paul Returns to Playoffs Against L.B. Poly

Under first-year Coach Richard Ready, Sante Fe Springs St. Paul is 7-3 and back in the playoffs tonight against Long Beach Poly after a three-year absence, much to the delight of St. Paul fans.

Such a big crowd is expected for the game that St. Paul officials got the site changed from Long Beach Wilson High to Cerritos College.

Poly (8-1) was the top-ranked team in the Southern Section and the state until its 15-13 loss to Long Beach Millikan last week. An at-large entrant, St. Paul is one of four Angelus League teams in the playoffs.

Gardena (4-5) at San Fernando (7-2), tonight--San Fernando has won five games in a row and is an explosive team with wide receiver David Richards as a deep threat and running back Lance Harper as a breakaway threat. Richards started the season at tailback, but his speed at receiver has opened up the Tiger offense. Harper has taken full advantage, rushing for 713 yards and 7 touchdowns in 981 carries, including 364 yards in the last two games. Gardena also has a potent ground game, led by Brian Brown and Demeterious Smith. Smith sometimes lines up at wide receiver, and also does the placekicking. The San Fernando defense has allowed an average of only 55 yards rushing a game.

Oxnard (7-3) at West Torrance (6-2-2), tonight--West Torrance, the second-seeded team in the Coastal Conference and winner of the Bay League title with a 5-0-1 record, has one of the toughest opening-round draws in Oxnard, an at-large choice from the jumbled Channel League. Oxnard tied for fourth at 4-3, one game behind tri-champions Santa Barbara, Rio Mesa and Ventura. West, which has played two scoreless ties, has been improving lately with the addition of fullback Kaiser Noa, who was ineligible at the start of the season. Tailback Kevin Maher, with 14 touchdowns, is the focus of the grind-it-out offense, but Noa gained 86 yards last week and adds another dimension. Oxnard allowed only 85 points and four touchdowns on the ground in league play. Junior fullback Wayne Jones led the Channel League in rushing with 1,183 yards and junior quarterback Juan Moreno threw 13 touchdowns in six starts.

Lakewood (5-4) at La Puente Bishop Amat (10-0), tonight--On the surface, this matchup may appear a little one-sided. After all, Bishop Amat is undefeated and ranked No. 1 in the Southern Section, and Lakewood is 5-4 and finished third in the Moore League. But these teams have played twice in the playoffs in recent years and both games were close. Lakewood won, 13-12, in 1982 and Bishop Amat won, 14-7, in 1983. Lakewood also has played well recently, defeating Long Beach Millikan two weeks ago. To beat Bishop Amat, Lakewood will have to contain the Lancers’ powerful rushing attack that features running backs Eric Bieniemy and Lee Barrett. Bieniemy, a junior, has rushed for 1,520 yards and 25 touchdowns, and Barrett, a senior, has run for 642 yards and 8 touchdowns. Bishop Amat also has a good quarterback in senior Rick Carter. Toss in defensive standouts such as seniors Ramon Diaz at linebacker and Johnny Brown at defensive back and it is easy to see why the Lancers have outscored their opponents, 342-119.

Santa Maria (5-5) at Playa del Rey St. Bernard (7-3), tonight--St. Bernard made costly mistakes last week in losing its only Camino Real League game and the league title to Verbum Dei, 38-21. Still, the Vikings have scored three or more touchdowns in five of their last seven games and have a varied attack. It features running back Michael Parks, who has scored 10 touchdowns, fullback Kevin Bayonne, who has returned four kickoffs for scores, and quarterback Lonnell Tyars, who has four touchdowns. Parks may be moved to wide receiver if his shoulder is still sore. Santa Maria runs a balanced attack, led by tailback Wayne Dudley, who has nearly 1,000 yards, and quarterback Mike Eames. The kicking game is a strength; punter Matt Almaguer has not had a punt returned for any yardage in five games.

Hacienda Heights Los Altos (7-2-1) at Mission Viejo Capistrano Valley (8-1-1), tonight--Two of the best quarterbacks in the Southern Section will be matched in this game, Scott Stark of Capistrano Valley and Mark Smith of Los Altos. Stark has passed for an Orange County single-season record of 2,706 yards and 27 touchdowns. He had 264 yards passing and 3 touchdowns in his team’s 38-0 win over Woodland Hills El Camino Real last week. Smith heads the strong Los Altos passing attack with 1,349 yards and 8 touchdowns, and threw for 255 yards and 2 touchdowns in his team’s 15-14 win over West Covina last week. Smith’s favorite targets are tight end Will Harris and wide receiver Steve Peters. Los Altos also has an outstanding defense, led by linebacker Ken Lopez, an excellent pass rusher.

Cerritos (7-3) vs. Los Alamitos (9-1) tonight at Gahr High--Los Alamitos earned a share of the Empire League title for the first time since 1976, and much of the success is due to the passing of quarterback J.T. Snow and receiving of Robby Katzaroff. Snow has completed 113 of 193 passes for 1,554 yards and 22 touchdowns. Katzaroff is Orange County’s leading scorer with 139 points on 16 touchdowns, 28 extra points and 5 field goals. Cerritos, which lost to Lynwood, 11-8, in the San Gabriel Valley League title game, has won the most games in school history. The Dons are led by running back Andre Wooten, who has 1,415 yards and 16 touchdowns in 224 carries. Quarterback Greg Pilioglas is an all-around player, having scored 4 touchdowns, passed for 537 yards and 7 touchdowns, intercepted 3 passes and punted well.

Fontana (7-3) vs. Loyola (8-2), tonight at Glendale High--Both teams are coming off losses, but have proven they are among the best teams in the Big Five Conference. Loyola has a better passing game with quarterback Dan O’Neil, but Fontana has the size in the offensive line with tackle Nigel Clay, 6-4 and 240 pounds, and tight end Ernie Rogers, 6-6, 240, to make the running game go. John Kidd rushed for 144 yards and Willie Chapman added 78 last week against Riverside Poly, a game in which the Steelers committed seven turnovers and lost, 19-15. Loyola’s defense had held its opponents under seven points for seven straight games before last Saturday’s 24-21 loss to Alemany.

Santa Ana (6-4) at Lynwood (9-1), tonight--Lynwood advanced to the playoffs as the top-seeded team in the Southern Conference after winning the San Gabriel Valley League title for the sixth time in seven years. Lynwood Coach Larry Anderson called Santa Ana “a pretty tough draw.” Santa Ana hopes to pull off a first-round upset at Lynwood, something that has happened to the top-ranked Knights twice previously in post-season play.

Dorsey (7-2) at Granada Hills (7-1), tonight--Dorsey opened the season with six consecutive victories before Banning crushed the Dons’ Pacific League title hopes, 38-13. Dorsey’s only other loss was 34-18 to Carson. Granada Hills was unbeaten before its 40-12 loss to San Fernando last week. The Highlanders lost half of their potent passing combination of Brent Spurlin to Greg Fowble in that game. Fowble, who had 13 touchdown receptions and was averaging more than 20 yards a catch, suffered a broken hand in the first half. He is one of five starters who will miss the game because of injuries.