San Pedro Falls to Franklin’s Aerial Assault

San Pedro High’s defense spent most of Saturday afternoon at Daniels Field cringing beneath an aerial barrage.

The mad bomber was Franklin quarterback Ronnie Lopez, who entrenched himself behind an unyielding offensive line and picked apart San Pedro’s baffled secondary. His pinpoint passing led the visiting Panthers to a 28-12 victory and clinched the Freeway League title for Franklin (7-1, 5-0).

“I never expected this,” said San Pedro Coach Henry Pacheco, whose Pirates fell to 6-3 and 4-1. “I didn’t expect them to blow us away.”

Pacheco also didn’t expect Lopez, who completed 20 of 33 passes for 214 yards and three touchdowns, to pass at will. Lopez connected with his favorite target, junior flanker Chad Infranca, 13 times for 152 yards.

In the second quarter, Lopez put Franklin on top 7-6 with a 15-yard TD pass to Ernie Barraza.

In the third quarter, Infranca caught a Lopez pass from 14 yards out and sidestepped San Pedro cornerback Shannon Lindsey for a touchdown. Infranca later in the period hauled in an 11-yard touchdown pass that was tipped in the air by Pirate free safety John Pinel.

In the fourth quarter, Infranca made a diving grab for an 11-yard gain to set up Ricky Branscombe’s two-yard TD plunge.

It was a bad day for San Pedro quarterback Grant Beachley, who completed only five of 16 passes for 48 yards.

San Pedro’s only points (besides Isidoro Camacho’s two second-quarter field goals) came when reserve quarterback Todd Reynolds rifled an eight-yard touchdown pass into coverage to John McKinley.

Pacheco said Beachley, who was intercepted twice (by Lucio Solano and Gerald Larranaga), was holding onto the ball too long.

“We were trying to go to our short passing game,” he said. “But by the time Beachley got rid of the ball, the defense was all over us.”

Both teams will enter the L. A. City 3-A playoffs in two weeks.