HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL PLAYOFFS : Carson Speeds Past El Camino Real Into City Semifinals, 54-0

Carson High’s quickness made such an impression on Mike Maio that El Camino Real’s co-coach was rather hasty himself after watching the backs of Carson’s jerseys for 2 1/2 hours Friday night.

Maio needed only a split second to assess his team’s 54-0 drubbing at the hands of top-seeded Carson (10-1) in a City Section 4-A quarterfinal game at Veterans Memorial Stadium in Long Beach.

“They just had too much speed,” Maio said. “They isolated on us, and we just don’t have enough guys who can run with them.”

Watching two punts, a kickoff and an interception returned by Carson for touchdowns will do that to you. Carson finished with 297 return yards in six attempts, a 49.5 average.

El Camino Real’s special teams were torched, allowing touchdowns on punt returns of 75 and 56 yards, as well as on an 82-yard kickoff return.

Perhaps El Camino Real (7-4) had too much John Walsh on its mind.

The Carson quarterback, who entered the game with 3,449 yards passing, was still throwing in the fourth quarter despite Carson’s lead and finished 18 of 33 for 229 yards and four touchdowns.

Carson’s Latario Rachal did most of the damage, however, catching five passes for 88 yards and three touchdowns. Rachal also scored on the 75-yard punt return and the 82-yard kickoff return.

Rachal’s 157 return yards eclipsed the school record of 140, set by Abdul Muhammad in the first half.

Carson’s first touchdown was set up by Trevon Railey’s fumble at El Camino Real’s 26-yard line. Walsh hit Rachal from 16 yards and Aaron Villarreal’s conversion gave Carson a 7-0 lead with 5 minutes 8 seconds left in the first quarter.

Carson, which finished with 289 rushing/passing yards, then struck for three scores in the final five minutes of the half.

Walsh, whose 50-yard touchdown pass to Rachal on Carson’s next drive was negated by a penalty, came back with a 12-yard scoring pass to Theron Hill that extended Carson’s lead to 14-0 with 5:02 left. Muhammad set up the drive with a 31-yard punt return that positioned Carson at El Camino Real’s 26.

On El Camino Real’s ensuing drive, Landy McCall intercepted a pass by Sean Boldt and returned it 55 yards for a score with 3:40 left.

Then Muhammad, who had averaged 28 yards on his first three punt returns, added a 56-yard effort with 51 seconds left that gave Carson a 28-0 halftime lead.

Rachal’s 82-yard return of the second-half kickoff extended Carson’s lead to 34-0 and he caught a 17-yard pass from Walsh to balloon the score to 41-0 entering the fourth quarter.

Walsh hit Rachal for a seven-yard score to increase Carson’s margin to 47-0 with 10:13 left, and Rachal added his 75-yard punt return with 6:19 remaining.

El Camino Real, meanwhile, had only two first downs in the first half and finished with 131 yards, 117 of those rushing. Ryan Marine gained 82 yards in 21 carries.