Washington Helps Propel Granada Hills to 21-0 Win

A pack of Harley-Davidson motorcycles rolled into the stadium at Granada Hills High on Friday night, part of the school’s homecoming festivities.

There was leather everywhere on the noisy chopped hogs, and almost as much chrome as there is in, say, the Highlander trophy case.

The bikes served as an escort of sorts for Granada Hills fullback Brett Washington, who has thighs the size of saddle bags and a nose for the open road. And once again, when the Highlanders squeezed the clutch, Washington hit high gear as Granada Hills thundered past El Camino Real, 21-0, in a West Valley League game.

The victory assured Granada Hills of the league’s top seeding in the City Section 4-A Division playoffs and clinched at least a share of the school’s fifth consecutive league title. It was the fourth shutout in six conference games for the Highlanders, who limited El Camino Real to 67 yards.

After a scoreless first half, Granada Hills cashed in the game’s first big break. On third and 11 from the Granada Hills 38-yard line, Conquistadore backup quarterback Terry Morrow flipped a bad pitch to running back Chris Griggs. The ball was picked up on a bounce by defensive back Derrick Stewart, who was tackled at the El Camino Real 44.

“That was the big play,” said Washington, who gained 168 yards in 26 carries. “It pumped Derrick up and it pumped the rest of us up.”

The Highlanders (8-1, 6-0 in league play) pumped it inside to Washington--who carried on seven consecutive plays. Washington finished off the drive--and in effect, the Conquistadores--when he scored on a 14-yard run inside with 5 minutes 2 seconds left in the third quarter.

“Nice play calling,” quipped Highlander co-Coach Tom Harp, who handles the offense.

Washington, who accounted for 65% of the team’s offense (257 yards), was again the man in the fourth quarter. Washington turned a third-and-four play into a 34-yard touchdown run with 6:55 left in the game and scored on a two-point conversion for a 14-0 Highlander lead.

“That might be the best I’ve seen him run,” Granada Hills co--Coach Darryl Stroh said.

Granada Hills put El Camino Real (6-2, 5-1) away on the Conquistadores’ next possession when Morrow, pressured out of the pocket by a blitzing Stewart, tossed a pass that was intercepted by Alonzo Finney.

Finney raced 30 yards for a touchdown and a 21-0 lead, the same margin of victory when the teams met in conference play last season.

El Camino Real was unable to establish anything offensively in the first half, either, and piled up just 51 yards. The Conquistadores managed to cross the 50-yard line twice in the half and could penetrate no further than the Highlander 38.

And the Highlanders were dishing out more than just statistical punishment. El Camino Real quarterback Evan Howland was carried off the field with a possible dislocation of the left hip after he was sacked by Chris Zane with 7:10 left in the first half.

There were chances, but the Highlanders twice failed to convert fourth-down plays inside the El Camino Real 30 in the second quarter. After driving to the Conquistadore 26, a holding call backed up the Highlanders and quarterback Bryan Martin’s fourth-down bootleg was stopped for a four-yard loss.

The Highlanders moved to the El Camino Real 30 on their next possession, but Martin was victimized by a pair of dropped passes. The drive stalled when Martin’s fourth-and-nine pass from the 30 fell incomplete with 2:05 left in the half.