The High Schools /Steve Elling : Second-Guessing Begins for Redell

During the playoffs, every play is subject to analysis. Second-guessing becomes second nature.

When fourth-down plays fail, however, scrutiny--and even self-examination by coaches--can be even more extreme. On the sideline, as the clock and season tick away, decisions are hastily made. Fourth-down misfires often mean an entire off-season to mull the tack taken.

So it was that Crespi Coach Bill Redell scanned his memory banks Saturday, trying to find something comparable to the Celts’ fourth-down failure in the third quarter of a 41-21 loss to Servite in the Southern Section playoffs Friday.

“I don’t recall ever doing that,” he said. “It was a gamble. I went against the percentages.

“Looking back, it was a mistake.”

The situation: Trailing, 20-14, with 3:24 left in the third quarter, Crespi went for a first down on fourth and 1. In games of this magnitude, fourth-down dice-rolling isn’t unusual. Going for it on your own 29-yard in a very winnable game, however, is . . . “chancy, just not a very good call,” Redell said.

Crespi All-American Russell White was stopped for no gain on the play and Servite took over at the Celts’ 29. Eight plays later, Servite scored and Crespi trailed, 27-14.

“I figured that since we have a guy like Russell, who’s gained about 10 yards every time he’s touched the ball in his career, that we could make it easy,” Redell said. “We had momentum after the last score. Heck, at the time, it didn’t seem so bad.”

Add Crespi: Fourth-down efficiency went a long way toward determining the outcome of the Crespi-Servite rematch. The Celts attempted 5 fourth-down plays and converted 1, which came in the second quarter on their first attempt. Servite, on the other hand, was 4 for 4.

And each time the Celts failed on fourth down, the Friars roasted them.

Servite gambled first and it paid off. On the second play of the second quarter, facing fourth and goal from the 4 with the score tied, 7-7, slotback Oscar Ford dodged Crespi defensive back Lucas Freeman and scored on a reverse.

On Crespi’s ensuing possession, White gained 4 yards on fourth and 1 at the Servite 39, Crespi’s lone fourth-down conversion. Three plays later, Crespi went for it on fourth and 9 at the 32, but quarterback Ron Redell was unable to find a receiver on a rollout and was forced out of bounds after a 2-yard gain.

Servite took possession, and one play after fullback Garrett Greedy bulled 2 yards for a first down on fourth and 1 at the 50, Brown broke loose for a 48-yard touchdown run that gave the Friars a 20-7 halftime lead.

Later, Crespi’s ill-fated fourth-down attempt at its own 29 with 3:24 left in the third quarter gave Servite a critical possession.

Said Redell: “Another thing that’s bad about giving them the ball at that spot on the field is that they’re already in 4-down territory.”

True to Redell’s word, the Friars converted on fourth and 1 at the 20 to set up a 4-yard touchdown run by quarterback Chris Johnson that gave Servite a 27-14 lead.

Trailing, 34-21, Crespi failed on a fourth-and-8 pass from its own 30 with 3 minutes remaining and, again, Servite capitalized. Only 1:03 later, the Friars scored to take a 41-21 lead.

Quipped Redell, after learning of Servite’s fourth-down opportunism: “Got any more good news?”

Last add Crespi: Servite tailback Brown, who entered the game with a state-leading 1,985 rushing yards, refused comment about pregame remarks made by White. Brown, who rushed for 130 yards and scored 2 touchdowns Friday, was not at a loss for words to describe on-field chiding of several other Crespi players, however.

Brown’s comments, though, were prudently saved until after the game.

“I heard them all night,” Brown said. “They were saying ‘Brown this and Brown that.’ I just kind of walked away and said, ‘Yeah, yeah, yeah. Just catch me first.’ ”

You want catchy? Last Saturday, White, in proclaiming that he was a better running back than Brown, characterized Brown as an “imitator” and called himself the “originator.”

“The only trouble with saying stuff like that,” Crespi assistant Kermit Alexander said moments before kickoff, “is that you have to go out and back it up.”

White finished with 162 yards and 3 touchdowns, but his potential for explosiveness was held in check. White’s longest gain was 14 yards (3 times) and he was held to 2 yards or less on 10 of his last 14 carries--6 of which went for no gain.

Starry-eyed: San Fernando limited El Camino Real to 4 yards in offense in a 16-0 victory Wednesday in the City Section 4-A Division playoffs.

This may sound familiar.

Five weeks ago, in a 22-7 win over the Conquistadores, San Fernando also held El Camino Real to 4 yards. In the 3 games preceding Wednesday’s playoff--against Kennedy, Chatsworth and Granada Hills--the Tigers outscored their opponents, 102-10.

“We’ve been playing near-perfect defense for about the last eight games or so,” Coach Tom Hernandez said. “The defense isn’t thinking, they’re just hitting and playing.”

Don’t get the impression the Tigers are a little slow-witted. San Fernando switched to a more aggressive defensive system this year--installed by first-year assistant Troy Starr, who coached last year at Carson--and it has begun to pay dividends.

“He’s done a great job,” Hernandez said of Starr. “The kids are really starting to get the hang of what he’s done.”

After 11 games, San Fernando (8-3) has outscored opponents, 289-101. The most points the Tigers have allowed was in a 25-10 loss to Banning in their opener.

San Fernando will play host to Banning in the 4-A semifinals at 7:30 p.m. Friday.

This Byrd has flown: Even though Taft was routed by Dorsey, 37-7, Wednesday in a City 4-A playoff, Toreador tailback Kelvin Byrd left his mark.

Byrd, a senior who left the game because of a sprained left ankle in the first quarter, returned to finish with 137 yards in 21 carries (6.5 average), even though the injury limited his effectiveness to right-side sweeps. Byrd accounted for all but 5 yards of Taft’s total offense.

“He’s a tough kid,” said Dorsey co-Coach Eugene McAdoo, who handles the Dons’ defense. “He runs hard, he has good speed and it always takes more than one guy to bring him down. But I guess the best thing about him is that he has great vision. He’s a good cutback runner.”

Byrd finished the season with 1,480 yards and 18 touchdowns. He gained 2,648 yards in 441 carries (6.0 average) and scored 30 touchdowns in 2 seasons at Taft.

For what it’s worth: Of the 4 teams left in the City 4-A playoffs, 3 are from the Pacific League. Carson, Banning and Dorsey join San Fernando in the final four.

Of the 4 teams that have advanced to the Southern Section Division II semifinals, 3 are from the Golden League--Canyon, Palmdale and Antelope Valley.

For the record: Last week, when Hart tight end Brian Allen said he would not play basketball this season, Indian Coach Greg Herrick, who formerly coached at Cleveland, said the loss could be overcome.

Cleveland never used football players, Herrick reasoned, and he pointed to the success of the Cavalier program as an example.

Try again.

Last season, Chaka Milby--who started at tight end for Cleveland--played in several games at forward before leaving the team in a dispute over playing time.

Package deal: Justin Cheen and Damon Willick, the leading scorers on Harvard’s Southern Section 2-A water polo championship team, have announced they will attend UCLA.

Cheen scored 20 playoff goals and Willick added 17 for the Saracens, who finished their season Wednesday with an 8-6 victory over La Serna in the final. Cheen had said he was also considering Stanford. Willick also had considered UC Santa Barbara.

“We decided we could do more for a program if we were together than if we went to separate schools,” Cheen said.

Yount count: Milwaukee Brewer outfielder Robin Yount, a Taft graduate, has donated $4,000 to the Toreador baseball program for construction of a batting cage and the purchase of a pitching machine.

Taft also recently received a $3,000 donation from a Valley-area realtor. It has been earmarked for construction of a fence in left field.