PREP FOOTBALL : City 3-A Final : Franklin Wins the Title on Toscano’s Kick, 10-7

With the swing of his leg, Armando Toscano, a 5-foot 4-inch, 135-pound junior, instantly became the biggest man at East Los Angeles College Thursday night when his 19-yard field goal with 19 seconds left gave Franklin High School a 10-7 victory over Manual Arts for the City 3-A football title.

The kick capped a somewhat surprising defensive game in that Franklin (11-1) had come in averaging 27.5 points in the playoffs, while Manual Arts (8-3) had averaged 20. As it was, Toscano’s kick accounted for the only points of a turnover-filled second half.

Manual Arts, which won consecutive titles in 1983 and ‘84, scored first on a 50-yard pass play from quarterback Dennis Straughan to Michale Scott, followed by Raul Navarro’s extra point, with 7:51 left in the first quarter. Scott, a 6-4, 215-pound tight end, got behind Franklin defensive back Raul Romo for the catch.

Franklin, the 2-A champion in 1983, tied it 4:42 before halftime on an 80-yard drive. Ricky Lopez, the City’s second-leading passer behind Garfield’s John Gomez during the regular season, completed six straight passes, all for 13 yards or more, to put the ball at the Manual Arts four-yard line. From there, Torace Ragland went over for the touchdown, and Toscano kicked the extra point.

Halftime, however, meant a cooling-off period for Lopez. He threw an interception on his last attempt of the second quarter and began the second half with two more interceptions in three attempts, then three in six attempts. Scott, a linebacker on defense, had two interceptions, one at the Manual Arts’ three-yard line to end a Franklin drive, and defensive back Sammy Young also had two.

The Toilers’ Straughan wasn’t much better at the start of the third quarter, throwing four incompletions and an interception in his first six attempts. He finished with 9 completions in 23 attempts for 103 yards, with the interception and the touchdown, while Herman Nash gained 16 yards on 9 carries.

Franklin’s main offensive weapon, the Lopez-to-Eric York passing combination, was also ineffective. York, the No. 2 receiver in the City during the regular season, caught just 2 passes for 32 yards, although overall, Lopez hit on 16 of 29 passes for 200 yards, with 5 interceptions.