Lone Statistic They Keep Track of at Serra Is 9-0

In today’s world of high school football, statistics are frequently overrated.

Too often, the importance of statistics seems to outweigh the game itself. Players, coaches and fans are usually up to the minute on the rushing or passing statistics from a prep game.

But at Serra High in Gardena, keeping data on the football team is taboo. Over the past two seasons, the only mark documented by the Cavaliers is their winning streak, which reached 23 games with a 34-21 opening-round victory over Mission Viejo Trabuco Hills in the Southern Section Division VII playoffs last Friday night.

“We just don’t keep stats,” Serra Coach Leo Hand said. “What we stress is team unselfishness, and statistics do not play a part in our philosophy. We know that we’re different and that we are on a different page, but we think that it is a healthy one.”

That philosophy has been successful for Hand, who last year brought winning football back to Serra, which last had a winning season in 1984. In his first season, Hand led the Cavaliers to a 34-31 victory over Lompoc in the Division VII championship game to finish with 14-0 record.

This season, Serra defended its Camino Real League title and is 9-0. The Cavaliers, The Times’ 15th-ranked team, have the longest current winning streak in the Southern Section.

“This system, where we have no superstars, has worked for us,” Hand said. “The kids believe in it because they have seen it work. We talk all of the time about unselfishness. When we have our first practice of the year, every player starts out at right guard, which is probably the most unglamorous position on the team. He can’t play for us if he is not willing to be a team player.”

Serra, though, has several talented players who have caught the attention of college scouts. But when the scouts visit the campus, they find no statistics.

“I have heard that by not keeping stats, we are being unfair to the kids,” Hand said. “But the recruiting process is not based on stats. It is based on ability and not high school statistics. Coaches pad stats all of the time and sometimes that is more of an injustice. People know who the players are.”

One of the players who has flourished in Hand’s system is senior running back Jerald Henry. In the victory over Trabuco Hills, Henry rushed for 351 yards in 21 carries--reporters kept those statistics--and ran 78 yards for the clinching touchdown.

“Henry is a great player who will probably go to any college he wants to,” Hand said. “But, he is more of a team-oriented player than a superstar. Some games he might get the ball 20 times, and then in another he might get it twice, depending on what the defense gives us.”

In one game this season, Henry scored five touchdowns in only seven carries.

Hand, who coached at Anaheim Servite before taking over at Serra, said that the Cavaliers have been more fortunate than good the past two seasons. The school is all-boys this year with an enrollment near 300 but will become co-ed next year.

“At this stage, our program is in good shape, but we need to improve,” Hand said. “Nearly one out of every four students is playing football. We’ve been lucky in that we have not had injuries, but we’ve also been successful in developing our players academically.

“For our program to get better, we have to continue our dedication with academics because football games are always won and lost, but you’ll always need academics.”

Serra, top-seeded in the Division VII playoffs, plays at La Mirada Friday in the quarterfinals.

Further proof that the Southern Section needs to reduce the number of teams qualifying for its football playoffs is contained in the results of first-round games.

Most noticeable in Fontana’s 56-6 victory over Palmdale, the average margin of victory in the eight Division I games was a staggering 30.3 points, with no game decided by fewer than three touchdowns.

Routs also were common in the lower divisions, such as Mission Viejo’s 56-15 thrashing of Arcadia in Division II, and Anaheim Esperanza’s 47-6 victory over Alhambra in Division III.

Prep Notes

The biggest upset in the first-round of the Southern Section playoffs was Riverside Rubidoux’s 44-19 victory over Huntington Beach Edison. Edison (9-1), the Sunset League champion, was seeded fourth in Division I. Rubidoux (4-6) finished third in the Citrus Belt League. . . . Other surprises included Lynwood (5-5) defeating Marmonte League champion Thousand Oaks, 31-27, and Beverly Hills (5-5) over Foothill League champion Schurr, 29-28.

The City playoffs begin Wednesday night with first-round games in the 4-A and 3-A divisions. The top four seeds in 4-A--Carson, Banning, Dorsey and Granada Hills--all have byes.

TIMES’ TOP TEAMS

CITY Final Regular-Season Poll

No. School, League / Division Record 1. Carson, Pacific / 4-A 9-1-0 2. Banning, Pacific / 4-A 7-3-0 3. Dorsey, Pacific / 4-A 8-2-0 4. Granada Hills, West Valley / 4-A 9-1-0 5. Fairfax, Metro / 3-A 9-0-0 6. Sylmar, Valley East / 3-A 9-0-0 7. Belmont, Northwestern / 3-A 8-1-0 8. Garfield, Eastern / 3-A 8-1-0 9. Bell, Eastern / 3-A 6-2-1 10. Wilson, Northeastern / 3-A 9-1-0