Highlanders Escape on 4th-Quarter Field Goal

Luckily for Granada Hills High, the football took a Finney bounce Friday night.

Defensive back Alonzo Finney recovered a fumble late in the game that led to Andy Petroski’s 37-yard field goal with 2:21 left, and the Highlanders eked out a 17-14 victory over Westchester in a City Section nonleague opener at Granada Hills.

The Highlander defense was led by Finney, who recovered two fumbles and sacked Comet quarterback Brad Freeman once, and Robert Haywood, who had a pair of interceptions, including one with four seconds left.

“I don’t know if he’s ever played football before,” Highlander co-Coach Darryl Stroh said of Finney. “He did tonight.”

Granada Hills shut down highly-touted Comet running back Tim Holliday for the most part, limiting him to 91 yards in 17 carries, although he scored one touchdown and passed for another.

As for the Highlanders’ much-ballyhooed quarterback controversy, it’s still a controversy. Neither Chris Gadomski nor Bryan Martin distinguished himself while alternating every other down throughout the game.

Gadomski started and was four for 10 for 39 yards. Martin was two for five for 29 yards and threw an interception.

“It’s a problem,” Stroh said. “We’re trying to find one kid who will step forward. Until that happens, we’ll keep trying.”

Brett Washington scored on two five-yard touchdown runs for Granada Hills, including one midway through the third period that extended the Highlanders’ 7-6 halftime lead to 14-6.

But Holliday countered with a 21-yard option pass for a touchdown to Brandon Chretien early in the fourth period, then caught a two-point conversion pass from Freeman to tie the score, 14-14. His pass to Chretien was tipped by Leon Glasgow but the Comet receiver caught the ball lying on his back in the end zone.

The first half had the kind of mistakes typical of an opener--untimely penalties, missed assignments and turnovers.

Granada Hills took the opening kickoff and marched 69 yards to a touchdown. Washington scored on a punishing five-yard run, and the Highlanders kept the drive alive on Glasgow’s seven-yard run on fourth and four at the Westchester 34. Glasgow rushed for 88 yards in 13 carries.

Petroski’s point-after gave the Highlanders a 7-0 lead with 7:07 remaining in the first period.

Freeman fumbled away the Comets’ first possession at his 45, but the Highlanders couldn’t convert. Westchester got on the scoreboard early in the second quarter. Freeman found Darren Johnson in a crowd for a 45-yard pass completion that put the ball on the Highlander 35. Four plays later, Holliday took a pitch and broke free down the sideline for a 27-yard touchdown run.