PREP FOOTBALL SPOTLIGHT : FACTS, FIGURES AND COMMENTS FROM LAST WEEK’S PLAYOFF GAMES : BUSTING LOOSE

Big plays were the difference for Hawthorne in a 27-17 victory over visiting St. Paul in the first round of the Southern Section Division III playoffs Friday night.

The Cougars, winners of four consecutive games, scored touchdowns on a 93-yard kickoff return by John Garrett, a 51-yard run by tailback Morell Ollis and a 62-yard punt return by Kenneth Henderson with 3:32 left to play that made the score 27-10.

Hawthorne Coach Dan Robbins said Garrett’s kickoff return, which came after St. Paul had driven 82 yards on its first possession to take a 7-0 lead, gave him confidence the Cougars could avenge last season’s 31-0 semifinal loss to St. Paul.

“Our kids were really fired up; there wasn’t any doubt on the part of the kids,” Robbins said. “I’m not saying I didn’t have some doubts, but there was a real positive attitude on the bench.”

Ollis, who didn’t practice last week because of a groin injury, gave Hawthorne a 20-10 lead with his touchdown run with 6:32 left.

“His run was the key,” Robbins said. “I don’t know how many people he ran through.”

Hawthorne adjusted defensively at halftime, limiting St. Paul tailback Shawn McKinney to 21 yards in nine carries in the second half after he had rushed for 97 yards in 16 carries in the first half.

The second-seeded Cougars (9-2), who rushed for 200 yards in 30 carries (a 6.7 average), lost a coin flip Saturday to determine the home team and will play Los Alamitos (9-2) at Gahr High in Cerritos in the quarterfinals Friday night. Los Alamitos, runner-up behind top-seeded Esperanza in the Empire League, opened the playoffs with a 31-0 victory over Burbank.

AERIAL CIRCUS

If you appreciate a wide-open passing game, Notre Dame High in Sherman Oaks was the place to be Friday night.

Quarterbacks Jason Kendall of Torrance and Ziv Gottlieb of Beverly Hills combined to put the ball in the air 70 times, completing 41 attempts for 719 yards and eight touchdowns, as Beverly Hills defeated the Tartars, 43-40, in a Division VIII playoff opener.

Kendall, the South Bay’s passing leader, ended his high school career by completing 22 of 40 attempts for 419 yards and four touchdowns. He threw one interception.

Despite Kendall’s performance, Torrance never found a way to stop the pass-catch connection of Gottlieb and wide receiver David Saraf. Gottlieb completed 19 of 30 passes for 300 yards and four touchdowns. Saraf had 14 catches for 230 yards and three touchdowns, and also scored on a 94-yard kickoff return.

“It was quite a dogfight,” said Torrance Coach Bill Bynum, whose team finished 3-7-1. “It was just one heck of a game. It was probably the best game they’ve ever seen on this field.

“Probably the worst mistake we made was not scoring every time we had the ball. But they have a good team and they really know how to score.”

Kendall finished the season with school passing records of 2,962 yards and 23 TDs. His favorite receiver, Ralph Martinez, had 10 catches for 176 yards and two TDs against Beverly Hills to finish the year with an area-leading 71 receptions for 1,207 yards and 11 TDs.

Martinez and Kendall will switch roles during baseball season. Martinez is Torrance’s best pitcher and Kendall is a returning All-CIF catcher.

“The saddest part of all is (Kendall) will probably never throw a football again,” Bynum said. “Baseball is in his blood and that’s what he’ll play in the future. But it’s too bad because I think he’s just starting to come into his own as a quarterback.”

CHIP OFF THE OLD BLOCK

Ron Tatum Jr., son of Morningside Coach Ron Tatum, made his father proud Friday night in the Monarchs’ 28-7 victory over Nordhoff in a Division VIII playoff opener in Ojai.

Tatum, a senior who plays wide receiver and defensive back, intercepted two passes, including one he returned 64 yards for a touchdown, and caught two passes, one in a fourth-down situation.

“He had a good game,” said the elder Tatum, who usually doesn’t talk much about his son. “He had a real good game.”

Quarterback Stais Boseman, a player Tatum is accustomed to talking about, had another big outing. The junior rushed for two touchdowns and had two long TD runs called back by penalties.

HAWKS’ HOUSE

Redondo improved its home-field record to 5-0 Friday night with a convincing 36-0 victory over Bloomington in the Division VIII playoffs.

Quarterback Ted Silva, who passed for 110 yards and a touchdown, engineered a balanced offense, and the Sea Hawk defense made life miserable for Bloomington, sacking quarterback Larry Humphreys 10 times for 75 yards in losses and forcing four turnovers.

“We took it to them,” said Redondo Coach Chris Hyduke, whose team will travel to play top-seeded Atascadero (11-0) in the quarterfinals Friday after losing a coin flip Saturday. “We got the ball to the right guys tonight. We read their coverages properly.”

With leading rusher John Hogrelius sidelined because of a shoulder injury, Redondo turned to several backs Friday night. Scott Moore scored on a 60-yard run and led all rushers with 100 yards in seven carries, Chris Curtis had 48 yards in four carries and sophomore Robert Cracknell scored on runs of one and two yards.

The game was marred by a postgame fight. Hyduke said a Bloomington player hit Redondo offensive lineman Ryan Turner in the head with a helmet, knocking the 6-foot-5, 250-pound senior to the ground.

“You hate to dwell on the negatives, but that could kill somebody,” Hyduke said.

DEEP OCEAN

Ocean League teams were 3-1 in CIF playoff openers, an accomplishment that didn’t escape the attention of Morningside Coach Ron Tatum.

“I thought we had the strongest league in the South Bay,” he said. “Most of us played Bay League teams, and most of us beat them. Being able to play the teams in this league will prepare you.”

Ocean champion Beverly Hills and co-runner-ups Morningside and Redondo all won Division VIII playoff games. Culver City was the only Ocean team that didn’t advance past the first round, losing to second-seeded and defending division champion Temecula Valley, 28-13.

By comparison, Bay League teams were 1-2 in Division III openers and Pioneer League teams were 0-2 in Friday’s Division VIII games.

DOING IT ALL

As San Pedro’s quarterback, Rino Marconi is mostly known for his passing. But the senior showed other talents Friday night in the Pirates’ 28-3 victory over Canoga Park in the first round of the L.A. City Section 3-A Division playoffs at Daniels Field.

Marconi, who passed for 152 yards and a touchdown, also played well defensively. He returned a fumbled punt 30 yards for a touchdown, intercepted a pass and had three unassisted tackles and five assists.

Running back Jeff Williams and receiver/defensive back Bryant Thomas also played well for San Pedro, which will travel to meet Franklin in the quarterfinals Wednesday night. Williams rushed for 110 yards and scored on an 85-yard run, and Thomas caught a 51-yard touchdown pass from Marconi and had one of the Pirates’ three interceptions. It was his fourth interception of the season.

SHOWDOWN SEQUEL

As expected, Banning and Carson won City Section 4-A Division playoff openers Friday night to set up their second meeting in November. The rivals will square off Wednesday night in the quarterfinals at Veterans Stadium in Long Beach, two weeks after Banning held on for a 21-20 victory over Carson in a Pacific League finale at Veterans Stadium.

Carson opened the playoffs with a 27-15 victory over Garfield. Senior wide receiver/running back Tony Knox led the Colts, rushing for 104 yards and two touchdowns, catching five passes for 100 yards and returning punts for 21 yards to finish with 225 yards in total offense.

Knox played running back after Damin Hurst left the game in the second quarter after being shaken up on a hard tackle. Hurst is expected to return to the lineup Wednesday.

Banning, scoring on its first three possessions, defeated Poly, 45-10. The Pilots rushed for 290 yards in 32 carries, led by tailback Shayzar Hawkins with 162 yards and three TDs in 19 carries.

GETTING DEFENSIVE

Carson had eight sacks and held Garfield to minus-54 yards rushing in a 27-15 victory. Tackle Sipo’u Markeo and linebacker Carlos Harden each had two sacks, and linebacker Chris Vaimili led the Colts with nine tackles and three deflected passes.

South Torrance linebacker Doug Dossey had 10 tackles and an interception and defensive back Alan Hook had six tackles and an interception in a 20-17 loss to St. Joseph of Santa Maria.

Banning linebacker Robert Padilla had 13 tackles and a sack and defensive end Tawan Hall added nine tackles and a pass deflection in a 45-10 victory over Poly.

Serra free safety Sean Battle intercepted a pass to set up the Cavaliers’ second touchdown in a 14-12 victory over Century.

IN QUOTES

Morningside Coach Ron Tatum on tight end/linebacker Shawn Shamdiadeen, who knocked two Nordhoff players out of the game in the Monarchs’ 28-7 victory: “He hit a couple of their guys (Friday) night. I’m telling you, I was scared for them.”

Torrance Coach Bill Bynum on Beverly Hills receiver David Saraf, who had 14 catches for 230 yards and three touchdowns and also scored on a 94-yard kickoff return in the Normans’ 43-40 victory: “I can’t say enough about him. We couldn’t stop him. We went zone (defense), man to man, we couldn’t cover him. I thought we would be able to shut him down, but every time he got the ball, he did something spectacular with it.”

Redondo Coach Chris Hyduke on rebounding from last week’s loss to rival Mira Costa with a 36-0 playoff victory over Bloomington: “It was a tough loss last week. The players wanted to get the bad taste out of their mouths.”

Serra Coach Jon Dimalante on the way his team held on for a 14-12 victory over Century: “It was a gut check for us. I’m really proud of our team.”

STREAKS

El Segundo fell to Laguna Hills, 38-6, ending a seven-game winning streak.

Serra defeated Century, 14-12, extending its winning streak to six games.

INJURIES

Carson running back Damin Hurst did not play in the second half of a 27-15 victory over Garfield after being shaken up during a hard tackle in the second quarter. Hurst was filling in for No. 1 running back Theron Hill, who was sidelined because of a strained Achilles’ tendon.