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

Boseman. Gordes. Swayze.

Remember those names. At the rate they’re going, it won’t be long before they run circles around the entire South Bay.

Morningside’s lightning-quick backfield of quarterback Stais Boseman, halfback Montres Gordes and fullback Jesse Swayze put on another show Friday afternoon at Peninsula, where they combined for 260 yards rushing and three touchdowns in 31 carries to lead the Monarchs to a convincing 48-29 victory.

Last week, the threesome combined for 416 yards and four TDs in 40 carries in a 55-30 victory over Torrance.

“This is definitely the best backfield that we’ve had,” said Ron Tatum, in his seventh season as Morningside’s coach. “It’s a talented group, and the line is not that bad. When (the line) can move people off the ball for a fraction of a second or so, those kids in the backfield will make something happen.”

As usual, Boseman was the catalyst. The 6-foot-3, 185-pound junior led all rushers with 109 yards and two touchdowns in only nine carries, and he also passed for two TDs. In three games, Boseman has rushed for 361 yards and five TDs in 33 carries, better than a 10-yard average.

“I don’t think I’ve seen anybody like him since Curtis Conway,” said Peninsula Coach Gary Kimbrell, referring to the former Hawthorne quarterback who plays for USC. “He’s a tremendous athlete, but they’re not a one-man team.”

Gordes, a 5-8, 160-pound senior with tremendous cut-back ability, supported Boseman with 94 yards rushing in 13 carries, including a 35-yard scoring run with 30 seconds left in the first half to give Morningside a 27-10 lead.

“(Gordes) can stop and pick it up, and Swayze is not too much different,” Tatum said. “When you add that with Stais, you got a real good combination.”

BEATING THE HEAT

Tatum said he was worried about the afternoon heat and the fact that Peninsula, with a roster of 70 players, had a big advantage in depth over Morningside, which carries about 30 players.

“Dehydration was the one thing we were concerned about with the weather being as warm as it’s been this week,” he said. “We brought a lot of water and tried to give guys a rest.

“But we don’t have a lot of people, and everybody goes both ways, just about.”

Unfortuntately for Peninsula, superior numbers didn’t carry over to the scoreboard. The Panthers, who had allowed 346 yards rushing in their first three games combined, gave up 332 to Morningside.

“We had a tough time tackling them,” Kimbrell said. “Maybe our kids were a little tentative or something; worried about them so much that they go out there on eggshells.”

Of its 37 carries, Morningside had 12 runs of 10 yards or longer.

ON THE RISE

It hasn’t taken long for Coach Angelo Jackson to make an impact in his first season at Inglewood. The Sentinels, who struggled in recent years, evened their record at 2-2 Friday night with an impressive 27-7 victory over host Torrance.

Running backs Nai’l Benjamin and Jonathon Roussand paced a strong running game for Inglewood, combining for 207 yards and three touchdowns.

“We got thumped,” Torrance Coach Bill Bynum said. “Inglewood is a good ball club.”

Bynum indicated it might be time for Torrance (1-3) to modify its double-slot, passing offense. The Tartars did not score until the fourth quarter and quarterback Jason Kendall completed only nine of 24 passes and was intercepted twice.

“We have to focus a little more on the running game,” Bynum said. “We can still throw the ball, but we have to read (defenses) a little quicker and make better adjustments.”

MURDERERS’ ROW

The schedule maker didn’t give West Torrance any breaks. After close losses to Hawthorne and Culver City, the Warriors travel to meet Morningside on Friday night.

“There’s more talent there than most people see in a whole season, and we get to see it three weeks in a row,” West Coach Kerry Crabb said.

So far, though, the Warriors have held their own. They played well last week in a 28-20 loss to unbeaten Hawthorne, and they led Culver City, 21-0, Friday night before the Centaurs rallied for a 32-31 victory on a 15-yard scoring run by quarterback Dameron Ricketts with 45 seconds left.

“We should have just buried them,” said Crabb, whose team finished with 407 yards total offense despite playing without top running back Ralph Alarcon (dislocated toe) and receiver Jason Orpe (knee injury).

Junior Leo Galvan filled in for Alarcon and rushed for 150 yards and two touchdowns on 21 carries, and quarterback Steve Sarkisian had another big game, passing for 183 yards and two touchdowns.

In West’s case, a 1-3 record might be a little deceiving at this point.

SPECIAL SAXONS

Two big plays by special teams led to North Torrance touchdowns in the first half of the Saxons’ 21-13 victory over Redondo.

When a drive stalled at the Redondo 36, North punter Frank Ramirez, who is also the team’s quarterback, threw a fourth-and-16 pass to Dean Halverson, who was tackled at the five. On the next play, Ramirez completed a touchdown pass to running back Jose Gomez.

Later in the half, Halverson made another big play when he blocked a Redondo punt that was recovered at the Sea Hawk 26. Two plays later, Gomez scored on a 10-yard run to make it 13-0.

Gomez, in a fine all-around effort, rushed for 93 yards and intercepted a pass.

GETTING DEFENSIVE

Morningside junior linebacker Solomone Mateake recovered two fumbles, including one for a touchdown in the first quarter of a 48-29 victory over Peninsula.

Carson defensive back Dion Brumfield had nine tackles and a fumble recovery in a 27-0 victory over Narbonne.

Hawthorne linebackers Soloman Kupu and William Tuivai combined for 15 tackles, and strong safety Damon Sewell had five tackles and an interception in a 34-0 shutout over Centennial. The Cougars had two interceptions to bring their season total to eight.

Banning defensive end Tawan Hall, a 6-3, 225-pound transfer from Serra, had five primary tackles in a 34-19 victory over Washington.

El Segundo’s defense scored touchdowns on three turnovers Thursday night in a 45-0 victory over Mary Star, including a 102-yard interception return by Toby Hale.

South Torrance nose tackle Paul Ivanovsky intercepted a pass on the St. Anthony 19 with five minutes left to set up the winning touchdown in a 21-14 victory.

Santa Monica defensive back Larry Kennedy intercepted two passes by Mira Costa quarterback Greg Gilmer in the fourth quarter to preserve a 20-15 victory.

DROP IN PRODUCTION

Bishop Montgomery tailback Koury Clark was averaging more than 200 yards a game until he faced Crespi in a Mission League opener Friday night in Encino.

The Celts held Clark to 87 yards and two fourth-quarter touchdowns in 26 carries, and it proved the difference in a 28-14 victory.

“Crespi’s defense needs to be applauded for what they did, because they contained Koury Clark,” Bishop Montgomery Coach Steve Carroll said. “You’re never going to stop him completely, but you can keep him in check.

“He didn’t produce the rushing numbers that he had in the first three games, but he still got his yards. I think that’s a good sign.”

Aside from leading the Knights in rushing, Clark also caught five passes for 77 yards.

But Clark’s drop in rushing yards knocked him out of the South Bay lead in that category. Hawthorne tailback Morell Ollis, who gained 260 yards against Centennial, moved into the top spot with 714 yards. Clark is second with 694.

GAME OF INCHES

Gardena Coach Mike Sakurai said the difference between winning and losing was a foot.

“San Pedro got a foot when they needed it, and we didn’t,” he said.

The result was a 21-14 San Pedro victory Friday night at Daniels Field.

Faced with fourth-and-goal from inside the one, San Pedro elected to go for a touchdown with the score tied, 14-14. Quarterback Rino Marconi scored the game-winner on a sneak with 1:41 left to keep the Pirates unbeaten at 4-0.

Gardena had the same situation on its first series, but running back Justin McCarey was stopped short of the goal line.

“That hurt us,” Sakurai said. “But I was pleased our kids came back and played hard.”

San Pedro running back Geronne Shepard was the workhorse on the Pirates’ winning, 80-yard drive, carrying the ball 10 times for 52 yards.

STREAKS

Carson defeated Narbonne, 27-0, to break a two-game losing streak, its longest in the same season since 1976.

LOOKING AHEAD

In case you’re wondering, Beverly Hills (4-0) and Morningside (3-0), the No. 1 and No. 2 teams in the Southern Section Division VIII rankings, will meet Nov. 8 at Coleman Field in Inglewood in a game that could decide the Ocean League title and No. 1 seed for the playoffs.

IN QUOTES

North Torrance Coach Joe Austin on his team’s 21-13 victory over Redondo, which broke a two-game losing streak: “We needed this bad. Boy, did I need that.”

Redondo Coach Chris Hyduke on the loss to North: “Our kids didn’t play with much heart tonight. We need to do some soul searching.”

Bishop Montgomery Coach Steve Carroll on his team outgaining Crespi in total yards, 325 to 216, but losing its Mission League opener, 28-14: “We all feel we let one slip away.”

Morningside Coach Ron Tatum on his team running the ball 37 times and throwing only nine passes in a 48-29 victory over Peninsula: “If we can keep it that way, it would be great. But I’ll tell you, we have some receivers that can catch that thing, too. We want to work on the passing game just a little more to (complement) the running game.”

Mira Costa Coach Bill Lysle on his team being penalized for more than 100 yards in a 20-15 loss to Santa Monica: “It’s just stupid. How can you compete when you never give yourself a chance ? Every time we started a drive it was first-and-25. You can’t do that.”

Hawthorne Coach Dan Robbins on his team’s 34-0 victory over Centennial, giving the Cougars a 4-0 record: “I feel good. After the first three wins, I wasn’t real satisfied, but now I see the development I wanted to see. I’m pleased with our progress.”

INJURIES

West Torrance running back Ralph Alarcon, who entered the weekend as the area’s third-leading rusher, sat out a 32-31 loss to Culver City with a dislocated toe. The Warriors were also without receiver-defensive back Jason Orpe (knee injury).

Mira Costa running back Miguel Garcia missed his second consecutive game--a 20-15 loss to Santa Monica--with a sprained ankle. He is expected back Friday against Bishop Montgomery.