Turnovers Help Banning Gain City Final

Banning High School quarterback Ed Kapu and fullback Eric Sharp each ran for two touchdowns, but it was the Pilots’ defense that put them into the City 4-A final with a 28-9 win over San Fernando High School Friday night at East Los Angeles College.

Banning will meet Carson for the championship next Friday. Carson defeated Dorsey, 35-19, Friday night.

Banning’s defense, which only once all season has been scored upon in the fourth quarter, shut out San Fernando in the second half and limited the Tigers’ wishbone attack to 168 yards total offense.

“Once our defense starts taking hold of a game, our offense gets pumped up,” Banning Coach Chris Ferragamo said. “Any type of turnover caused by our defense makes us sparkle.”

Banning, which enters the City final for the 10th time in 11 years, forced five San Fernando turnovers, including two interceptions in the second half that led to a pair of touchdowns, putting the game out of reach.

“We knew we’d have to come out and play hard-nosed football and we did,” San Fernando Coach Tom Hernandez said. “But, the turnovers killed us.”

Banning (8-3) had a 14-9 lead with 55 seconds left in the third quarter when linebacker Calvin Spears intercepted a Dwayne Calloway pass at the San Fernando 44-yard line and returned it 10 yards.

Five plays later, Kapu scored his second touchdown of the night on a 17-yard run off right tackle.

On San Fernando’s first play of its next possession, Banning’s Marvin Pollard intercepted his second pass of the game and returned it 21 yards to the San Fernando 14.

Two plays later, Sharp carried the ball in from seven yards out to complete the scoring against San Fernando, which finished its season 8-3.

The victory was Banning’s 21st in a row over teams from the San Fernando Valley. The last time Banning lost to a team from the Valley was when Granada Hills, led by John Elway, won in 1978.