Anderson Leads El Camino Real Past Cleveland

For the better part of the 1989 football season, both Cleveland and El Camino Real highs have been about as offensive as a Walt Disney film.

Neither team did anything to tarnish that image Friday night, as El Camino Real ground out a 14-7 victory in a West Valley League opener at Cleveland. The Conquistadores (3-4, 2-3 in league play) rode the running of Jamal Anderson to the win.

Anderson rushed for 172 yards in 19 carries and scored on touchdown runs of one and 17 yards. Anderson’s one-yarder midway through the fourth period put the Conquistadores ahead for good.

Cleveland had taken a 7-6 lead on Vincent Johnson’s six-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter.

El Camino Real, which has not scored more than 20 points in any game this season, finished with just 140 yards.

Cleveland, which lost starting quarterback Steve Bryant to a leg injury in the third period, turned the ball over six times, four on fumbles.

The Cavaliers (3-4, 2-3) also had 128 yards in penalties.

The first half was an exercise in futility for both teams. El Camino Real, which averages 9.3 points a game and has scored fewer than 10 points four times, had just 34 yards (all rushing) at halftime and only two first downs.

The Conquistadores turned the ball over once in the first half, and El Camino Real quarterback Tony Bordwell misfired on all four of his first-half attempts, one of which was intercepted.

Cleveland was able to move the ball in the first half, but was stymied by four turnovers. Bryant was 10 of 18 for 100 yards but had two passes intercepted.

Cleveland fumbled five times in the first half, losing two of the bobbles.

A scoreless first half seemed imminent until Bobby Kim sacked Bryant, who fumbled the ball away at the Cleveland 24 with 1:56 left in the half. Abdul Zaid recovered for El Camino Real, and two plays later, Anderson broke out of Johnson’s grasp and scored on a 17-yard run.

The conversion snap was poor, and holder Bordwell completed a pass to Anderson, who was tackled by Johnson short of the end zone.