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

CATCHING ON

If not for the sure hands of wide receiver Tarrik Brock, Hawthorne might be a spectator today instead of a quarterfinalist in the CIF-Southern Section playoffs.

Brock made two crucial catches Friday night to help the Cougars pull out a 28-21 victory over Notre Dame of Sherman Oaks in a Division III playoff opener at Hawthorne.

Brock’s only catches came on the Cougars’ game-winning drive in the fourth quarter after Notre Dame had tied the score, 21-21. His sliding, 27-yard catch inside the left sideline on third-and-seven gave Hawthorne a first down at the Notre Dame 33. Six plays later, Brock put his team ahead by catching a 19-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Jamil Williams in the left corner of the end zone with 5:36 left.

“I’ve told the quarterback all year, ‘Just throw it up there and I’ll do the rest,’ ” Brock said.

The 6-foot-1, 160-pound senior made a marvelous effort on his first catch. Running a pattern toward the sideline, Brock had to come back for a slightly underthrown pass and caught the ball while falling on his back.

“It was a blitz, and (Williams) just threw it up and gave me a chance,” he said. “Luckily I recovered in time to come back and get the ball. I was almost down. It was a big moment.”

On the touchdown play, Brock beat double coverage on a corner pattern.

“They brought two guys up and that motivated me,” he said. “I just went for it.”

Brock, who plays center field on the Cougar baseball team, has 22 catches for nine touchdowns in a run-oriented offense.

COUNTER SPACE

Hawthorne Coach Goy Casillas was happy to get a victory, but not pleased with the way the Cougars frittered away a 14-0 lead.

“We’ve been doing that a lot this year,” he said. “We get ahead, but then we lose our edge. That’s something we’re going to have to stop, because if we continue to do that we’re going to get beat.”

Hawthorne had an especially difficult time defending Notre Dame’s running game. The Knights were successful on misdirection or counter plays. Tailback Setefano Malieitulua led Notre Dame with 134 yards on 24 carries.

“We have to work on that,” Casillas said. “Our linebackers are quick. What they do is move out on the flow right away, and then the counter is open. Wide open.”

LOOKING AHEAD

Four of five South Bay teams heading to the Southern Section Division VIII quarterfinals will have home games Friday.

Mira Costa is home against top-seeded Cabrillo of Lompoc, Palos Verdes won a coin flip to earn the home site against Bloomington, West Torrance is home against third-seeded Temecula Valley and Torrance plays host to second-seeded Morningside for the second time this season.

Torrance defeated the Monarchs, 13-12, in the second game of the year, but Morningside Coach Ron Tatum doesn’t feel revenge will be much of a factor.

“We kind of felt we’d be playing Torrance in the playoffs,” Tatum said. “We’re just going to go into the game prepared and do what we normally do. Just because it’s Torrance isn’t going to make any difference.”

Palos Verdes, which doesn’t have lights at its field, is tentatively scheduled to play Bloomington at North Torrance High. It will be the second trip to the South Bay for Bloomington, which shut out South Torrance, 17-0, Friday night.

In Division III, Hawthorne will travel to face Loara of Anaheim in a game tentatively scheduled at Glover Stadium in Anaheim. Interestingly, Loara was the designated away team in its first-round game against Villa Park, but wound up playing at home because Villa Park could not secure a stadium.

In Division VII, top-seeded Serra will play at La Mirada, which upset San Fernando League champion Harvard.

SAD ENDING

Rolling Hills tailback Robert Coulter, the South Bay’s leading rusher the past two seasons, was forced to sit out most of the Titans’ 39-28 loss to Temecula Valley on Thursday night because of a sprained ankle.

Coulter, in his last high school game, was limited to nine yards on four carries in the Division VIII playoff opener. He came out of the game in the second quarter, but made his presence felt on the sideline.

“He was screaming and yelling and encouraging our guys,” Rolling Hills Coach Gary Kimbrell said. “If someone went down, he went out on the field and helped them. He had a super attitude. He wasn’t feeling sorry for himself.”

Which, of course, would have been easy to do. Coulter sprained his ankle Nov. 9 in a 45-20 loss to rival Palos Verdes and aggravated the injury last Sunday in a tragic accident that claimed the life of Rolling Hills sophomore Brady Grasinger, 15, a passenger in Coulter’s car.

“It was sad for (Coulter’s high school career) to end like that, but he has a great career ahead of him,” Kimbrell said.

Coulter, who finished the season rushing for 1,478 yards, is being recruited by several major colleges, Kimbrell said.

NUMBERS GAME

* Serra running back Jerald Henry became the first South Bay player to surpass 300 yards rushing in a game this season, gaining 351 yards on 21 carries in a 34-21 playoff victory over Trabuco Hills.

* Banning tailback Travis Davis ran for 147 yards on 16 carries in a 54-0 victory over Narbonne to become the South Bay rushing leader with 1,500 yards on 184 carries.

* Carson cornerback Shawn Parnell had two interceptions in a 56-12 victory over Washington to give him nine on the season, tops in the area.

* Carson wide receiver Latario Rachal caught touchdown passes of 84 and 68 yards against Washington to give him a school-record 16 TD receptions for the season. The previous record was 15, set last year by Michael Ross.

* Palos Verdes quarterback Tim King completed 13 of 18 passes for 195 yards and four touchdowns in a 45-18 victory over Santa Paula, by far his best day. King entered the playoff game having thrown for 428 yards.

* El Segundo was held to minus-two yards rushing in a 21-6 playoff loss to San Marino, which gained 254 yards on the ground.

OPPOSITES ATTRACT

If, indeed, Carson and Banning are on a collision course to meet in the L.A. City 4-A championship game Dec. 14, they are taking different paths.

Banning completed the regular season Friday by rushing for 404 yards on 44 carries in a 54-0 victory over Narbonne. The Pilots passed for 48 yards.

Carson, meanwhile, romped past Washington, 56-12, behind 397 yards passing by quarterback John Walsh. The Colts ran the ball only once for a yard, the lowest single-game rushing total in school history.

STREAKS

* Serra defeated Trabuco Hills, 34-21, to extend its winning streak to 23 games overall and five games in the playoffs.

* Narbonne fell to Banning, 54-0, extending its losing streak to 17 games. The Gauchos were outscored, 312-33, in 10 games this season.

* Gardena captured its first league title in 16 years by beating Crenshaw, 15-14, to clinch the Southern League championship.

* Palos Verdes scored 45 points for the second consecutive game in a 45-18 Division VIII playoff victory over Santa Paula.

IN QUOTES

Carson Coach Gene Vollnogle, on the emotion of coaching his final game on Carson’s field Friday: “To be honest, I never even thought about it until before the game. I told the players I wanted them to play well because it’s the last team I’ll ever coach on this field. I almost broke up right then. I had to leave.”

Palos Verdes Coach Bill Judy, on his team’s 45-18 playoff victory over Santa Paula: “We had hoped we’d be playing this way after four or five games, but it didn’t work out... It all starts with the blocking. This was our third game in a row with the same offensive line.”

Gardena Coach Mike Sakurai, on winning the Southern League title with a 4-3 record, 4-6 overall: “People will say we only won four games, but we chose the right four to win. When we were 0-3, some of the kids could have said, ‘Hey, that’s it.’ But we stuck it out. It felt good to walk off the field as champions.”

INJURIES

* Carson outside linebacker Edgar Ta’ase missed his second game in a row with a strained knee but is expected back for the Colts’ L.A. City 4-A playoff opener Nov. 30, Coach Gene Vollnogle said.

* Morningside linebacker Danny Katoa returned to the lineup after missing one game with a sprained knee. He led the Monarchs in tackles and had one interception in a 20-13 playoff victory over Atascadero.