COLLEGES / IRENE GARCIA : When Offense Soured, So Did Harbor

What happened to the Harbor College football team?

The Seahawks were 6-0 but have lost two consecutive games going into Saturday’s game against powerful Glendale.

Harbor’s fast start--its best since 1965--was reason for excitement in Wilmington. After a 24-21 victory over Compton on Oct. 24, the Seahawks were ranked 10th in the JC Athletic Bureau’s state poll.

But Harbor’s misfortunes started on Halloween night. The Seahawks played host to Santa Barbara City College and lost, 34-14. Last week Harbor lost to Moorpark, 35-8, at home.

“Any time you lose when you’re used to winning it creates pressure,” Harbor Coach Don Weems said. “Basically, we’ve had a lot of injuries. The same thing happens to all football teams. They’re lucky if they make it through the season without injuries.

“The kids played very hard against Moorpark. We had some bad breaks. We were still in the game at halftime.”

The Seahawks’ rushing offense was slowed when running backs Ira Moreland and T.J. Palaita went down. Moreland, the Western State Conference’s leading rusher for much of the season, turned an ankle in the Compton game and didn’t play against Santa Barbara.

The 5-foot-8, 195-pound sophomore from Hawthorne High was held to six yards in three carries against Moorpark.

“He was only about 60% in that game,” Weems said. “But he’ll be ready to go on Saturday.”

Palaita, a 5-11, 200-pound sophomore, bruised an ankle in the first quarter of the Santa Barbara game and has been playing in pain since, according to Weems.

The injuries have forced freshman quarterback Gabe Sadi to pass the football--and the result has not been favorable. Sadi, a tight end at Banning High, has completed 53 of 135 passes for 618 yards and two touchdowns.

Harbor’s defense continues to play well. The Seahawks rank third in the Western State Conference, giving up an average of 248 yards a game.

Even before the loss to Compton, Harbor’s strength was questioned because of victories against what was perceived to be lesser opponents.

Some conference critics believe Harbor was never a legitimate contender for a bowl game.

“That’s baloney!” Weems said. “We played six good football teams and we won. Our record stands for itself.”

But there is no denying that only two of the Seahawks’ victories have come against solid teams: a 34-32 victory against Valley on Oct. 10 and a 27-14 road win against Santa Monica on Oct. 17.

The Seahawks struggled to beat three of the state’s weakest teams, East Los Angeles, West L.A. and Compton. Harbor beat East, 17-13, in its opener Sept. 19. East has yet to win a game.

Harbor beat struggling West, 13-9, on Oct. 3 and rallied in the fourth quarter to defeat winless Compton.

El Camino’s defense continues to shine. The Warriors (7-1) are especially good at stopping the pass. Sophomore defensive backs Demetrius Boykins (Gardena High) and Brian Malinofsky (West Torrance) have combined for 150 tackles and each has earned Mission Conference player-of-the-week honors.

Linebacker Dan Katoa has also been impressive. The 6-foot, 230-pound sophomore from Morningside High leads the team with 76 tackles and four quarterback sacks. Katoa has been named to the Mission Conference player-of-the-week list five times. He was honored this week after getting 12 tackles and two sacks in a 35-15 victory against Pasadena.

Sophomore defensive end Ken Talanoa (6-4, 260, El Segundo) also made this week’s Mission Conference list with eight tackles and a sack. Talanoa, who leads the team with eight sacks, also has 38 tackles.

“Our defense is great,” El Camino Coach John Featherstone said. “Those guys play to the level of the competition. They were fired up last week. We’re like a pool of sharks right now. We’re starting to smell the blood.”