Birmingham One-Ups Gardena

About the only thing the Birmingham and Gardena high football teams had in common Wednesday night was the number one.

Both teams entered their first-round City Section 3-A Division playoff game as the No. 1 teams from their respective leagues, the Mid-Valley and Southern.

It was Birmingham, however, that held on to the ball and the game, escaping with a 12-7 victory at Birmingham.

The game was not as close as the score. The Braves recovered six Gardena turnovers--including five in the first half--before Adam Kallen’s recovery of wide receiver Demetrius Boykin’s fumble at the Birmingham 45-yard line with six minutes to play iced the game for the Braves (8-2).

“That’s what ignited us,” Birmingham Coach Chick Epstein said of the defense.

Kallen recovered the ball on Gardena’s first play from scrimmage after Birmingham quarterback Vince Lampkin scrambled 15 yards for what proved to be the winning touchdown.

Lampkin’s touchdown was set up by Erick Williams’ return of a partially blocked Gardena field-goal attempt and a face-mask penalty that gave the Braves the ball on the 31.

Williams’ return helped atone for a dropped pass in the first quarter. All alone along the left sideline, Williams missed a Lampkin pass that practically hit him in the numbers. Scott Brown also had a 46-yard field-goal attempt sail wide to the left just before halftime.

“We should have had two more touchdowns,” Epstein said.

Gardena Coach Mike Sakurai said he was surprised by the fumbles.

“We haven’t been a fumbling team,” Sakurai said. “I don’t think we fumbled the ball in our last two or three games. We were still in it, though, at the end.”

Birmingham failed to capitalize on five Gardena turnovers in the first half--including three on consecutive possessions in the first quarter. Gardena (4-7) executed only one offensive series in the first quarter.

But fumbles aside, Gardena managed a 7-6 halftime lead.

With his team trailing, 6-0, Larry Roberts connected with Jason Woods from 34 yards with six minutes 38 seconds left in the half and the extra point moved Gardena in front.

Darrell Moore scored first for Birmingham, running four yards run with 1:09 left in first quarter. Brown’s successful point-after attempt was negated because of illegal motion. Brown’s second attempt was blocked by Ojay Johnson.