PREP FOOTBALL SPOTLIGHT / FACTS, FIGURES AND COMMENTS FROM THIS WEEK’S GAMES : WALSH SIDELINED

Carson quarterback John Walsh, the South Bay’s leading passer, will miss a minimum of three weeks after suffering a badly sprained ankle Friday night in a 56-0 victory over Gardena, Carson Coach Gene Vollnogle said Saturday.

Walsh was injured early in the third quarter at Gardena after completing 13 of 18 passes for 222 yards and four touchdowns.

“He stepped backwards and stepped on someone else’s foot,” Vollnogle said. “It was just one of those things that happens.”

Vollnogle said Walsh’s ankle was placed in a soft cast.

Walsh, a transfer from West Torrance, has completed 68 of 114 passes for 1,278 yards and 12 touchdowns in four games. He will be replaced by Tarriel Hopper, who normally plays strong safety. Hopper has completed three of five passes for 12 yards this season.

Asked how the loss of Walsh will affect Carson’s double-wing passing offense, Vollnogle said: “It all depends on how Hopper plays. He knows the offense. He just doesn’t have the touch John does.”

The injury couldn’t have come at a worse time for Carson. The Colts face Banning in an important Pacific League game Friday night at Veterans Stadium in Long Beach.

PACKING A PUNCH

Banning Coach Joe Dominguez likes to compare Anthony Nicholson, the Pilots’ 5-foot-10, 170-pound quarterback, to a lightweight boxer.

Friday night, Nicholson delivered several blows to San Pedro, rushing for 141 yards and two touchdowns on 11 carries in Banning’s 31-7 Southern Pacific Conference victory. The knockout came with 6:35 left when Nicholson dazzled a capacity crowd of 4,500 at Daniels Field with a 79-yard touchdown run.

“He’s got a lot of heart and he’s a real competitor,” Dominguez said. “If he was a boxer, you’d have to knock him out and throw him out of the ring. I think that competitiveness is rubbing off on our other kids.”

Some of Nicholson’s best runs appeared to come on broken plays.

Said Dominguez: “He’s the type of kid who can turn nothing into something and something into something great.”

Nicholson, a transfer who played for an 0-10 Centennial team last season, is not the first player from the Compton school to make a name for himself at Banning. Freeman McNeil was a lineman at Centennial before becoming a standout running back for Banning, UCLA and the New York Jets.

LOSING THE HANDLE

San Pedro, locked in a 7-7 tie with Banning in the second quarter, appeared headed to take the lead when running back Melvin Taylor broke behind the defense for what should have been a 48-yard touchdown run.

Inexplicably, though, Taylor fumbled in the open field at about the 30. A scramble for the ball ensued before San Pedro’s Herb Whitaker recovered at the 19. Four plays later, San Pedro was forced to attempt a 44-yard field goal that was wide to the right.

The Pirates were shut out the rest of the way.

Taylor helped make up for his miscue with a sparkling defensive play to end the first half. With time running out and Banning in possession at the San Pedro 39, Nicholson completed a pass to Marty Garcia, who raced up the sideline before being knocked out of bounds by Taylor at the one-yard-line.

COMPLETE OVERHAUL

Unhappy with his team’s defensive effort last week in a 38-18 loss to West Torrance, Morningside Coach Ron Tatum went with nine new starters Friday night in the Monarchs’ 22-16 victory over South Torrance.

The most critical changes were made on the line, where Tatum benched large players in favor of smaller, quicker ones. The only defensive starters who remained from last week were inside linebacker Danny Katoa and free safety Kenny Birdine.

“It was drastic, but our big players just weren’t getting the job done,” Tatum said. “I put in smaller guys and they showed a little more quickness. They were able to put a little more pressure up front. That’s what we didn’t have (against West).”

Tatum said one of the key changes was moving Keith Long from strong safety to nose tackle, where he played last season.

GIVEAWAY KNIGHT

Bishop Montgomery, which committed 21 turnovers in its first four games, appeared headed for more anguish Friday night. The Knights lost a fumble in their end zone on a handoff from quarterback John Zimmerman to fullback Marvin Negrete and Culver City recovered to take a 6-0 lead in the first quarter.

What was the reaction on the Bishop Montgomery sideline?

“There was a moment of panic,” Coach Steve Carroll admitted.

But the Knights lost just one more fumble on their way to a 22-12 victory. They improved to 2-3.

“Our kids came through,” Carroll said. “They came back and played fundamental football the rest of the way. Hopefully our turnover ratio is going by the wayside.”

DOING IT ALL

Torrance senior Antone Williamson, known more as a two-time All-CIF third baseman in baseball, has proven to be a valuable member of the football team as well.

In the Tartars’ 22-20 victory over Mira Costa, Williamson blocked an extra point, returned a punt 30 yards to set up the first touchdown, caught three passes for 31 yards, rushed for 14 yards on two carries and anchored the defense at safety.

NUMBERS GAME

Palos Verdes fullback George Felactu scored two touchdowns in a 34-6 victory over Centennial to give him nine on the season, tops in the area. Running backs Danny Sarner of Miraleste and Jerald Henry of Serra are tied with eight TDs apiece and Robert Coulter of Rolling Hills has seven.

Miraleste kicker Brett Ostergard made field goals of 42 and 37 yards in a 33-13 victory over Marshall Fundamental to give him eight in five games. The area leader last season, Angel Andrade of Leuzinger, had nine field goals in 12 games.

STREAKS

--Serra defeated Inglewood, 42-6, to extend its winning streak to 17 games.

--Banning defeated San Pedro, 31-7, for the 18th consecutive season. It was the first time the teams had met at Daniels Field since 1958.

--North Torrance snapped a three-game scoreless streak, but still fell to Rolling Hills, 41-28, for its fourth consecutive loss.

--Narbonne fell to Crenshaw, 6-0, extending its losing streak to 11 games.

--South Torrance gave up 22 points for the third consecutive week in a 22-16 loss to Morningside. The Spartans have lost four in a row.

IN QUOTES

Torrance quarterback Jason Kendall, on playing without top running back Carlos Hilliard, who suffered a broken leg last week: “It puts a lot of stress on the offense. He’s a 100-yard rusher every game. Hey, the whole team was worried. It’s going to hurt us. He’s a great receiver, too.”

Banning quarterback Anthony Nicholson, on next week’s meeting with Carson: “We’re ready for them. We’re going to get them next week. We’ve just got to dig down a little deeper . . . The running game is going pretty good, and it’s going to keep going. Can’t nobody stop us.”

West Torrance co-coach Mark Knox, on Tom Dallen’s 42-yard field goal with 13 seconds left that pulled out a 9-7 victory over Redondo: “It ages you.”

Palos Verdes Coach Bill Judy, on receiver-defensive back John Miller, who missed practice last week with a pulled hamstring muscle but was allowed to kick in a 34-6 victory over Centennial and had a career-best 40-yard field goal: “I told him maybe he should just go to therapy every week from now on.”

INJURIES

Mary Star running back Matt Redlew, the team’s leading rusher, suffered a separated shoulder in a 52-14 loss to Whittier Christian and is questionable for next week’s Santa Fe League opener with Cathedral, Coach Mike Marinkovich said.

Three Carson starters--middle linebacker Frank Padilla (knee injury), offensive tackle Gary Lauti (shoulder injury) and defensive tackle Fiti Gagau (broken thumb)--sat out a 56-0 victory over Gardena.