SPOTLIGHT : FACTS, FIGURES AND COMMENTS FROM THIS WEEK’S GAMES

OH, HENRY

Serra Coach Leo Hand says running back Jerald Henry is the fastest player he has ever coached.

Few in attendance Friday night at St. Paul High in Santa Fe Springs would argue that.

Henry, a 5-foot-8, 180-pound senior, helped turn a 10-10 tie into a 24-10 Serra victory with two impressive touchdowns in the fourth quarter. He turned a short pass from quarterback Alex Marcelin into a 19-yard scoring play with 9:05 remaining and, on the next possession, broke free along the left sideline and raced for a 95-yard touchdown to secure the victory with 5:33 left.

And Henry made the big plays despite suffering from leg cramps most of the second half. Remember, though, this is a player who, according to Hand, ran a 4.4-second 40-yard dash with a sprained ankle.

A ROUGH NIGHT

How bad did it get for Carson quarterback John Walsh in the Colts’ 29-20 loss to Rialto Eisenhower?

Aside from passing for 390 yards and three touchdowns, it was all negative. Walsh was sacked eight times for 48 yards in losses, intercepted three times, including one returned 79 yards for a touchdown, and lost three fumbles, two inside Carson’s 15-yard line.

Carson Coach Gene Vollnogle blamed the offensive line for his quarterback’s troubles.

Meanwhile, Walsh’s former team, West Torrance, got a stellar performance from its offensive line in a 38-18 victory over Morningside. Running back Alex Schultz, operating almost exclusively between the tackles, rushed for 164 yards and three touchdowns on 22 carries.

In case you’re wondering, West is 3-1 and Carson is 2-1.

Walsh, though, is racking up impressive individual numbers. He has passed for 1,056 yards and eight TDs in three games.

CLEANING HOUSE

Hawthorne, which suspended two players for the season in the aftermath of last week’s brawl with Eisenhower, also lost two other players.

Jermaine Jones, one of the Cougars’ top three receivers, quit the team at halftime of the Eisenhower game and starting safety Joe Latu quit Monday, reportedly because he knew the school was planning to suspend him for his actions during the brawl. “He saw the handwriting on the wall,” said a source, who requested anonymity.

Jones reportedly quit because he was unhappy with his role in the Cougar offense.

Despite the problems, Hawthorne played like a team on a mission Friday night, rolling up more than 400 yards total offense in a 46-7 victory over Gardena. And the Cougars did it with junior Ronnie Morrisette filling in for injured quarterback Jamil Williams.

“We wanted to show people that we’re not a bunch of hooligans,” Coach Goy Casillas said. “We had a really good week of practice and everybody was team oriented. We’ve had some personnel problems, but hopefully we can improve.”

FEUDING ON THE HILL

Miraleste quarterback Steve Cooper and first-year Coach Tony Bantula don’t always see eye-to-eye. That was apparent during the Marauders’ 26-0 victory Friday afternoon against visiting Murphy.

They argued several times, once disagreeing over Bantula’s offensive game plan. Cooper claimed that Bantula places too much emphasis on field goals by his stepson, Brett Ostergard, who kicked a 52-yarder Friday.

“That’s it, just take care of your son, why don’t you,” Cooper said.

Later, Cooper apparently called an audible on a pass play with Miraleste holding a sizable lead. “What are you doing?” Bantula screamed. “I don’t want you running up the score! Run the plays I call!”

Cooper countered: “But you didn’t send in a play.”

After the game, Cooper said: “When you have two different people, sometimes you have two different views. I don’t think there’s anything hostile there. It’s just football stuff. Everything will be worked out eventually.”

Said Bantula: “I don’t have any problem (with Cooper).”

NO MORE FLAGS

Mira Costa Coach Larry Petrill says penalties were partly to blame for the Mustangs’ 0-2-1 start. With that in mind, it came as no surprise Thursday night when Mira Costa had no penalties and beat North Torrance, 35-0.

“Every game we’ve played we easily could have won,” Petrill said. “The problem was, we were making poor judgments--penalties, decisions, management of self on field. Offensively, we had to struggle the whole darned time.

“We had 12 (penalties) in one game, and in another we had eight. We were basically killing ourselves.”

FUSSIN ‘N FIGHTIN

An unfortunate brawl between El Segundo and Mary Star erupted after El Segundo’s T.D. Mayer intercepted a pass on the last play of the game to secure a 7-6 Eagle victory. However, head coaches Steve Newell of El Segundo and Mike Marinkovich of Mary Star said the fighting was not serious and the product of a couple of players who let their emotions get out of hand.

HISTORY LESSON

Banning Coach Joe Dominguez says this year’s team reminds him of the 1985 Pilots, who also started off 1-2 before going on to capture the L.A. City 4-A championship. Dominguez was an assistant that season under Chris Ferragamo.

The Pilots broke into the win column Friday night with a 34-18 victory over Taft, following one-point losses to Long Beach Poly and Pasadena Muir.

“Last year, after seven weeks, we were 6-0-1 and ranked (No. 2) in the state,” he said. “But this team is head and shoulders above that team. I’m very happy with this team, despite our record. This team is much better than last year’s, talent-wise, and as far as work ethic, there’s no comparison.

“I told the players when we were 0-2 that I wouldn’t trade them for anyone.”

In other words, circle Oct. 12 on your calendar. That’s the night Banning and Carson meet at Long Beach Veterans Stadium.

STREAKS

* Serra defeated Santa Fe Springs St. Paul, 24-10, to extend its winning streak to 16 games.

* Banning defeated Woodland Hills Taft, 34-18, to snap a six-game losing streak.

* North Torrance failed to score for the third consecutive game in a 35-0 loss to Mira Costa.

* Palos Verdes fell to Torrance, 17-0, to end its regular-season winning streak at nine games.

* Narbonne fell to Fairfax, 26-7, extending its losing streak to 10 games. The Gauchos have lost 33 of 34 games.

* El Segundo defeated Mary Star, 7-6, for the fourth consecutive season.

IN QUOTES

Mira Costa Coach Larry Petrill, on his team beating North Torrance, 35-0, after starting the season 0-2-1: “It was four games too late. Or I should say too long. It’s never too late.”

Banning Coach Joe Dominguez, on his team’s 34-18 victory over Taft that snapped a six-game losing streak: “It’s simply a win. At Banning, we expect a lot more. We expect to win the league and City championships.”

San Pedro Coach Henry Pacheco, on next week’s game with Banning, whom the Pirates have have not beaten since 1972: “It would be nice to break that streak. We always go in with a positive attitude. No matter who we’re going to play, we feel we’re going to beat them. Banning is no exception. They can’t overlook us. They know we’re a pretty good football team.”

INJURIES

Hawthorne quarterback Jamil Williams was held out of a 46-7 victory over Gardena with a bruised thigh, but is expected to play next week against Long Beach Poly, Coach Goy Casillas said.

Serra halfback Tim Trahan sat out a 24-10 victory over St. Paul with a hairline fracture of his leg. Coach Leo Hand said Trahan will return either next week or the following game.

Leuzinger’s top running back, Marvin Johnson, suffered a knee injury and outside linebacker Ismael Felicie may have suffered broken ribs in a 34-14 victory over Cerritos, Coach Steve Carnes said.