Fairfax Overwhelms Chatsworth for City 3-A Title, 27-0

It may be little consolation, but at least Chatsworth High can say it almost had the best football team in its class in 1985.

Unfortunately for the Chancellors, Fairfax is in the same division, the City 3-A.

The Lions were simply too big and too fast for Chatsworth in the 3-A championship game Thursday night at East Los Angeles College.

Fairfax beat the Chancellors, 27-0, but perhaps this Chatsworth team shouldn’t be remembered for its performance in this particular game.

The Chancellors could be called fortunate in playing the Lions close for a half.

Fairfax simply was a few rungs above the rest of the City 3-A teams this season. The Lions had outscored opponents, 355-51, entering the game. They had a quarterback, Rodney Dorsett, who had thrown for more than 1,500 yards and a running back who had rushed for 1,039.

The Lions’ offense fires as fast as a well-oiled machine gun.

Chatsworth countered with a pop-gun offensive attack that managed to put more than 20 points on the board only twice this season.

“It was a gutty performance by a group of talented kids,” said Chatsworth Coach Myron Gibford about his own team after the game.

But Fairfax? Well, that’s really talent.

The Lions led by just seven at the half, but quickly pulled away from the Chancellors early in the second half.

“The kids did a great job,” Gibford said. “They just tired us out.”

Fairfax was able to control the ball thanks to five Chatsworth turnovers. The Lions out-gained the Chancellors, 344-136, and turned the ball over only once.

“Our offense couldn’t perform and we couldn’t keep our defense off the field,” Gibford said.

Fairfax drove 68 yards on three plays on its first possession of the second half. The key play on the drive was a 65-yard pass from Dorsett to fullback La’Trelle Barnes. Derek Mallard hauled in a two-yard pass from Dorsett and Mark McGroarty ran in a two-point conversion to give the Lions a 15-0 lead.

Three minutes later, Fairfax made it 21-0 as Dorsett hit Mallard with a 23-yard pass. The score came one play after a fumble recovery by Lion linebacker Scott Hamilton on the Chatsworth 23.

Fairfax wrapped up the scoring with 4:21 left in the game on a six-yard run by Michael Hale.

Chatsworth’s longest offensive drive of the game was from its own 23 to the Lion five at the start of the fourth quarter. The march stalled when Spence Durham was stopped a fourth-and-four play.

The biggest difference in the second half was the passing of Dorsett.

He completed only 3 of 11 passes for 81 yards in the first half. He finished with 223 yards passing and completed 8 of 17 with one interception.

The game was scoreless until just before halftime as both teams failed to convert several scoring opportunities.

Chatsworth was given its best scoring chance on its first possession when Everett Martin intercepted Dorsett at midfield on the game’s first play from scrimmage. He returned it to the Fairfax 26, but after two short runs and an incomplete pass, Chatsworth quarterback Rogelio Vargas was sacked by Reggie Johnson on fourth-and-seven at the 23.

Chatsworth failed to cash in on another Fairfax turnover with 1:25 left in the half and wound up actually helping the Lions to score.

Chatsworth’s Richard Bennett recovered a fumbled punt at the Fairfax 40, but on the next play from scrimmage Darrick Davis of Fairfax intercepted a Vargas pass at the Lion 33 and returned it to the Chatsworth 48.

Fairfax quickly took advantage of the opportunity as Dorsett hit Mark McGroarty for a 48-yard touchdown pass. McGroarty had broken into the clear at the 25-yard line when two Chatsworth defensive backs chose to cover Michael Hale on a streak down the sideline.

Until then, Fairfax had been frustrated by a Chancellor defense that was as adept as the Chatsworth offense was inept.

Fairfax had 170 yards compared to the Chancellors’ 15, and had the advantage of twice starting drives at the Chatsworth 48 and once at the Chancellor 22.

Fairfax was the victim of a tenacious Chatsworth defense intent on making the big play.

“We made a lot of mistakes,” said Fairfax Coach Denis Furlong. “I thought we were going to score our points. I just didn’t think it was going to be that hard.

“The Chatsworth defense did a good job, no question about it. But I didn’t do a real good job of selecting the plays during the first half.”

The Lions were also hurt by 45 yards in penalties. Fairfax got its first big break on the last play of the first quarter when Davis made the first of his two interceptions. He picked a Vargas pass off at the Chatsworth 43 and returned it to the 21.