PREP FOOTBALL SPOTLIGHT : FACTS, FIGURES AND COMMENTS FROM LAST WEEK’S GAMES

GAINING GROUND

Torrance provided an answer Friday night for those still wondering if the Tartars had a running game after losing tailback Carlos Hilliard to a broken leg Sept. 27.

“We’ve got two running backs,” said Coach Rich Busia, after Torrance forced a three-way tie for the Pioneer League title with a 13-10 victory over host West Torrance.

Junior Scott Hagerman led the way with 117 yards and a touchdown on 25 carries, while senior Tony Lomeli added 74 yards on 16 carries in Torrance’s most productive rushing performance since the talented Hilliard went down.

It couldn’t have come at a better time for the Tartars, who will open the CIF-Southern Section Division VIII playoffs Friday with a road game.

“When Hilliard got hurt, we were kind of flip-flopping around,” Busia said. “Then we got Hagerman stepping up, and now Lomeli.”

The presence of the strong ground attack to go along with the passing of quarterback Jason Kendall gives Torrance what it has been lacking in recent weeks--a balanced offense.

“It makes a big difference,” Busia said. “Now we’ve got the running part and the passing part. It puts us back in our rhythm. It makes it difficult for opponents to figure out what we want to do.”

Hagerman said he felt vindicated by Torrance’s rushing performance against a West defense that was hampered by injuries.

“(West) said we had a weak running game,” he said. “But me and Lomeli proved that wrong.”

Hagerman also had a big night kicking the ball. He made two field goals, including a 17-yarder with one second left to win the game.

MR. CLUTCH

Kendall, the Torrance quarterback, was flawless on the game-winning drive, which started at the Tartar 20-yard line with 1:56 left to play.

The junior completed consecutive passes of 19, 13 and 22 yards to receiver Ralph Martinez, moving the ball to the West 26. From there, Torrance ran into position for Hagerman’s field goal.

“I like the clutch situations. It’s like when the bases are loaded and you get a base hit,” said Kendall, who plays catcher on the Tartar baseball team. “I think we’re a good pressure-situation team.”

UPSTAGING A STAR

Palos Verdes running back George Felactu has heard a lot about Robert Coulter, his counterpart at Rolling Hills. After all, Coulter leads the South Bay in rushing and gets his share of publicity.

But on Friday afternoon, it was Felactu’s turn to shine.

The 5-foot-8, 215-pound senior sparked an improbable 45-20 come-from-behind victory by rushing for 208 yards and three touchdowns on 22 carries. Felactu’s 54-yard run set up Palos Verdes’ first touchdown in a 30-point second quarter, helping wipe out a 14-0 Rolling Hills lead.

“I’ve been hearing all the time that Robert Coulter is the best back on the PV peninsula,” Felactu said. “I wanted to show that I’m in contention for that. That’s what I tried to do.”

Coulter, hindered by a twisted ankle, finished with only 60 yards on 14 carries.

GETTING EVEN

Palos Verdes Coach Bill Judy said his team was ready to play after being the target of Rolling Hills’ taunts and pranks last week.

Judy said Palos Verdes’ bleachers were smeared with motor oil and manure Wednesday night, and his players were taunted by members of Rolling Hills’ team.

“All week long they were telling our kids they were going to kick our butts,” he said. “They came down and vandalized the school. It cost us thousands of dollars to get (the bleachers) cleaned up.”

Palos Verdes defensive end Andrew Miller said he was confronted at a hamburger stand Friday morning by several Rolling Hills’ players.

“I went in to get some food with my mom,” Miller said. “A whole bunch of them came in saying how PV was going to lose how they were going to beat the tar out of us. I made a fast exit.

“When I told my teammates, they were pretty (mad). We were already enthused before that. But that got us even more pumped up.”

TOUCH OF CLASS

Rolling Hills Coach Gary Kimbrell, as usual, was gracious in defeat.

He didn’t rant and rave. He didn’t blame the officials. And he avoided blaming his players, who played less than an inspiring game.

Afterward, he was hurting more for his team than he was for himself.

“I just hate to see the kids go out like that,” Kimbrell said. “They played so hard and improved so much in the last three weeks. Then to come in and lose like this, I know they feel bad. I’m still proud of the way they came through.”

Kimbrell said all week he felt like a man awaiting his own execution. The premonition proved to be prophetic, considering Friday’s result.

“I was in knots the whole time,” he said.

Kimbrell’s uneasiness might have had something to do with the Jekyll and Hyde character of his team. From week to week, it was impossible to predict which Rolling Hills team would take the field--the one that beat West Torrance, South Torrance, Redondo and Torrance, or the one that played poorly in losses to Mary Star, Morningside and, finally, Palos Verdes.

PLAYOFF PICTURE

Following is a rundown of South Bay qualifiers for the CIF-Southern Section playoffs:

Bay League--Hawthorne and Leuzinger tied for title, but Hawthorne enters Division III playoffs as league’s No. 1 team because it beat Leuzinger.

Ocean League--Morningside is champion and Mira Costa is runner-up. Palos Verdes, which finished in three-way tie for third, goes to Division VIII playoffs as No. 3 entry because it had lower point differential against Morningside than Redondo or Rolling Hills.

Pioneer League--Torrance, West and South finished in three-way tie for title. A drawing determined that South enters Division VIII playoffs as league’s No. 1 team, West No. 2 and Torrance No. 3.

Camino Real League--Serra is champion and will be top seeded in Division VII playoffs.

San Fernando Valley League--Third-place El Segundo should earn at-large bid in Division VII playoffs because of 5-4-1 overall record.

TACKLES, TACKLES

Carson defensive end Bob Tuitau had 12 tackles Friday night in a 21-7 victory over Dorsey to become only the third player in school history to record more than 100 tackles in two consecutive seasons.

Tuitau, a 6-foot-1, 210-pound senior, has 109 tackles in nine games this season. He recorded 108 last season, when he was named to the All-L.A. City team.

Tuitau joins linebacker Rowan Tupuivao (1971-72) and defensive back Clemont Williams (1977-78) as the only Carson players to have back-to-back 100-tackle seasons.

STREAK BUSTERS

Miraleste’s season ended on a rather embarrassing note Friday night at Pius X High in Downey. Pius X beat the Marauders, 20-15, to snap the longest losing streak in the CIF-Southern Section at 28 games.

“You could hear a pin drop on the way home,” said Miraleste Coach Tony Bantula, whose team finished in last place in the Camino Real League with an 0-5 record.

The Marauders led, 15-6, after three quarters, but critical turnovers (quarterback Steve Cooper threw five interceptions in the game) contributed to the fourth-quarter collapse.

“We just fell apart,” Bantula said. “We’re not a fourth-quarter team. This has happened to us all year.”

Despite the disappointment, Bantula said he is looking forward to next season, when Miraleste will return 20 of 23 varsity players.

“It’ll be our turn next year,” he said.

That is, if Miraleste is still open.

STREAKS

* Serra defeated Verbum Dei, 54-14, to extend its winning streak to 22 games and sew up its fourth consecutive Camino Real League title.

* Narbonne fell to San Pedro, 42-0, extending its losing streak to 16 games. San Pedro snapped a five-game losing streak.

* Inglewood fell to Leuzinger, 53-0, for its 19th consecutive Bay League defeat. The Sentinels last won a league game in 1987.

* West Torrance fell to Torrance, 13-10, ending a league winning streak of 11 games and an overall streak of six games.

* Bishop Montgomery defeated Chaminade, 14-3, to snap a league losing streak of 13 games dating back to 1987.

* Hawthorne fell to Santa Monica, 15-14, ending a six-game winning streak.

IN QUOTES

Torrance running back-kicker Scott Hagerman, on a 13-10 victory over West Torrance that gave the Tartars a share of the Pioneer League title: “It was do or die. We win it, we’re champs. We lose it, we go home; we’re nowhere.”

Palos Verdes defensive end Andrew Miller, on teammate George Felactu, who rushed for 208 yards and three TDs in a 45-20 victory over Rolling Hills: “George is great. Everybody should have a George. He’s pretty much the whole offense.”

Hawthorne Coach Goy Casillas, on his team’s 15-14 upset loss to Santa Monica: “This gives us an opportunity for introspection. We have to take a harder look at ourselves and not be so impressed with our record. It’s possible that we went into the game with our chests out a little bit.”

Dorsey tailback Lamont Warren, on the Dons’ 21-7 loss to Carson: “They were just better than us. We don’t have any excuses. They beat us clean and fair.”

INJURIES

* Morningside fullback-linebacker Danny Katoa sat out a 51-8 victory over Centennial with a sprained left knee, but Coach Ron Tatum expects the senior back in the lineup for Friday’s playoff opener.

* Josh Gormley, West Torrance’s standout lineman, was forced to the sideline several times in a 13-10 loss to Torrance because of a back injury.