San Pedro High’s Second Chance Is a Last Chance

San Pedro High has the rare opportunity to avenge a defeat in the same season when it plays Crenshaw in the semifinals of the City Section 3-A Division football playoffs at 7:30 Friday night at Gardena High.

The Cougars beat the Pirates, 17-6, on Nov. 15 in a showdown for the Southern League title.

“We made several mistakes that hurt us,” San Pedro Coach Mike Walsh said. “An early offside penalty (that led to a Crenshaw touchdown) really hurt.”

Crenshaw Coach Robert Garrett said he expects an improved effort from San Pedro.

“I don’t think San Pedro played well in the first game,” Garrett said. “Preparing for them is giving me nightmares. Their quarterback scares us.”

San Pedro quarterback Rino Marconi has passed for 1,756 yards this season. Wide receiver Tony Mejia leads the Pirates (8-4) with 36 catches, and tight end Mike Coppola caught a touchdown pass from Marconi in last week’s 27-0 quarterfinal victory over Franklin. Running back Ambrose Russo carried 16 times for 171 yards against Franklin.

Inside linebacker Chris Lopez leads the Pirate defense with 118 tackles, and free safety Bryant Thomas has five interceptions. San Pedro has allowed only three points in two playoff games.

Crenshaw (8-4) is led by quarterbacks Whitney Jones and Ennis Powell. Jones has passed for 18 touchdowns. Powell, who splits time with Jones, is the better runner, Garrett said.

The Cougars top receivers are Gerald Lacey and Eric Scott, but slotback Kofi Nartey is capable of a big play.

Garrett said he expects a similar game to the one Crenshaw and San Pedro played three weeks ago.

“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” he said, referring to his game plan. “We know what they’re going to do and they know what we’re going to do. We just have to go out and do it.”

Walsh thinks the Pirates need to protect Marconi better if they are to advance to a City final for the first time in school history.

“Our line must do a better job,” he said. “They put a lot of pressure on our quarterback the last time.”

Following are other semifinal games involving South Bay teams:

CITY 4-A DIVISION

Banning (11-1) at Kennedy (11-1), 7:30 p.m. Friday--This is a rematch of last season’s quarterfinal game won by Banning, 20-10. Kennedy, the West Valley League champion, has one of the City’s top offensive players in tailback Elijah Raphael. The senior has rushed for 1,974 yards and 28 touchdowns.

Seeded-second Kennedy has defeated playoff opponents Belmont and Lincoln by a combined score of 84-6. Inside linebacker Alex Sawatzke anchors a Cougar defense that has limited opponents to less than 120 yards a game.

Kennedy Coach Bob Francola said his team needs to guard against being intimidated by the Banning mystique. “We’re playing this year’s Banning team, and not the Banning (that featured) Freeman McNeil or Stanley Wilson,” he said.

Banning defeated Carson, 34-14, last week. Tailback Shayzar Hawkins rushed for 240 yards and three touchdowns, and quarterback Andre Faavi-Tau’au passed for 102 yards and a touchdown.

Defensively, the Pilots have relied on junior strong safety Brandon Moore, who has six interceptions. “Kennedy looks similar to last year,” Coach Joe Dominguez said. “They’re very well coached.”

SOUTHERN SECTION DIVISION VIII

Atascadero (12-0) vs. Morningside (9-2) at Coleman Field, 7:30 p.m. Saturday--Atascadero, which lost to Morningside, 20-13, in the first round of the playoffs last season, is coming off a 29-13 quarterfinal victory over Redondo.

The Greyhounds are quarterbacked by junior Ryan Hawkins, who has passed for 15 touchdowns despite attempting an average of only 10 passes per game. When Atascadero moves into scoring position, it often switches to a wishbone T formation. Hawkins, who is also adept at running the option, has 12 rushing touchdowns. Senior running back Greg Pryor is the Greyhounds’ leading rusher with 1,419 yards and nine TDs.

Morningside beat Valley View, 36-9, last week. Quarterback Stais Boseman, a threat whenever he touches the ball, returned a kickoff 89 yards for a touchdown and also had a 32-yard scoring run against Valley View.

“We know what we’re facing (in Morningside),” Atascadero Coach Larry Welch said.

Although he is aware of Boseman’s abilities, Walsh said he is not designing a special defense to stop the Monarch leader. “We won’t change our style because they’ve got a lot of other talented players that can bust it,” he said.

Morningside tailback Montres Gords is another breakaway threat. He rushed for 127 yards and three touchdowns in last week’s victory.

South Bay’s Football Top 10

Selected by Times Sportswriters

Rank, School, League Record 1 Banning (Pacific) 11-1 2 Morningside (Ocean) 9-2 3 Hawthorne (Bay) 9-3 4 Serra (Camino Real) 8-3 5 Carson (Pacific) 6-5-1 6 San Pedro (Southern) 8-4 7 Redondo (Ocean) 7-5 8 Peninsula (Bay) 7-4 9 El Segundo (San Fernando Vly) 8-3 10 South Torrance (Pioneer) 6-5