Camarillo Dominates in 19-0 Win

It must have started on the Camarillo grade, that brake-burning hill that leads to the stadium lights at Camarillo High.

From the opening whistle--if not before--it was all downhill for Baldwin Park.

And when the previously unbeaten Braves hit the bottom of the hill, they really bottomed out. Skid marks were everywhere.

Camarillo tailback Fahali Campbell gained 227 yards in 33 carries and the Scorpions’ defense kept Baldwin Park’s vaunted running game under wraps in an easy 19-0 victory in a Southern Section Division III football quarterfinal playoff game at Camarillo.

Camarillo (9-3) will face Bell Gardens, a 23-6 winner over Peninsula, in the semifinal round next weekend at a site to be determined.

It all ended rather quickly for Baldwin Park (10-1-1), the defending Division IV champion, which had not suffered a defeat in 20 games.

“I’ll tell you what it was,” Campbell said, eyeing a painting of the school mascot emblazoned on a nearby campus wall. “The same thing happened when I was a sophomore and we beat Glendale.

“That scorpion doesn’t like undefeated teams.”

Neither did the Camarillo defense. Baldwin Park quarterbacks Rudy Beruman and Eric Robles were sacked a combined six times for minus-51 yards. Baldwin Park didn’t pick up a first down before halftime, by which time the Scorpions already held a 16-0 lead.

“They were ready for what we did,” said Braves tailback Lawrence Phillips, an NCAA Division I college prospect who was held to 62 yards in 15 carries. “They were just swarming to the ball.

“They knew what we were running as soon as we got to the line of scrimmage.”

So did Baldwin Park. To wit: Campbell left, right and up the middle. The senior tailback had 165 yards by halftime.

“We can do a lot of things when we put our minds to it,” Campbell said.

This was a mind-over-matter affair. And Camarillo defensive coordinator Jack Willard said they had the better back, and that’s what really mattered.

“Coming in, there was no doubt that our guy was better than their guy,” Willard said. “He’s a good back and all, but not as good.”

Campbell did nothing to disprove that theory. By halftime, he already had helped put the game on ice.

The first two periods were more lopsided than anybody would have dared imagine. The Baldwin Park offense was so clogged up by Scorpion defenders that, in a show of frustration, Phillips was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct in the final minute of the half for tossing the ball at a Camarillo tackler.

The Braves were held to just six yards in the half, failed to complete a pass, and Phillips was limited to 22 yards in nine carries.

Meanwhile, Camarillo rolled behind Campbell, who muscled out most of his yardage inside. With Camarillo leading, 3-0, Campbell took a pitch and bolted 54 yards for a touchdown on the first play of the second quarter. He also topped 100 yards for the game on the play.

The Scorpions took a commanding, 16-0, lead on a textbook drive. Camarillo bulldozed downfield on a 12-play, 64-yard drive that Campbell finished with a two-yard run over the right side.

Senior kicker Lee Ciuffitelli booted field goals of 22 and 42 yards to complete the scoring.

“They’re probably a better team than us,” Baldwin Park Coach Tony Zane said. “They flat took it to us both ways.”