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

FUMBLING OR BUMBLING?

A controversial fumble left Redondo coaches fuming after a 27-15 loss to Culver City in an important Ocean League game Friday night.

Trailing 21-15, visiting Redondo was driving toward a possible go-ahead score when running back Bob Cracknell lost a fumble at the Culver City 30-yard line with 3 minutes 17 seconds left. The Redondo sideline, contending that Cracknell was down before the fumble, vehemently argued the call. That resulted in two unsportsmanlike conduct penalties against the Sea Hawks and the ejection of Coach Chris Hyduke.

Redondo offensive coordinator Rick Francis said the game video showed that Cracknell’s knee was down before the ball popped loose in a pile-up.

“It was the worst call I’ve ever seen, because it was so obvious,” Francis said.

Hyduke was upset after the loss, which broke a three-game Redondo winning streak.

“I hate to see an official’s call become such an important part of the game,” Hyduke said. “Basically, we felt this was a championship game and I hate to see a game like that decided on a bad call. It’s just a real shame.”

Culver City (4-3, 2-0 in league play) secured the victory when Centaur linebacker Thaddeus Morrison intercepted a pass by backup quarterback Doug Francis and returned it 26 yards for a touchdown with 1:44 remaining. Scott Albin, Redondo’s starting quarterback, did not play in the second half after being shaken up in the second quarter.

Redondo (3-4, 1-1) dropped to third place behind Culver City and Mira Costa in the Ocean standings.

“It could have been a win for us,” Hyduke said. “But (Culver City) is a fine club and they beat us. It’s just unfortunate the way it happened.”

FIT TO BE TIED

The party wasn’t over, but when the lights went out on the visitors’ side of the field late in the fourth quarter at Torrance, it proved to be an omen.

Neither team scored again as South Torrance and Torrance settled for a 16-16 Pioneer League tie Friday night. Each team had a field-goal attempt partially blocked in the final three minutes.

Kevin Campbell, who had missed a 30-yard field goal try with 2:42 left, saved the day for Torrance when he got enough of his helmet on Evan Etheridge’s 36-yard attempt on the last play of the game to cause the ball to fall short of the crossbar.

“It grazed the top of my helmet,” Campbell said. “I thought it was going to be good because I didn’t get much of it.”

South (4-2-1, 0-1-1) moved into scoring position after the lights went out with 2:09 left. After a 15-minute delay, quarterback Mike Rosato completed an 18-yard pass to Etheridge, the Spartan tight end, on third and 16 to move the ball to the South 32. Eight plays later, South was at the Torrance 20 and in position to try a field goal.

Torrance Coach Bill Bynum thought the delay helped South the same way another lights-out play helped the Tartars late in the second quarter. South’s Kapono Tumale drew Torrance’s ire, and a penalty, when he flattened Carlos Bryant as Bryant waited to field a punt.

“That fired us up a lot,” Torrance defensive lineman Kevin Rodriguez said of Tumale’s mistimed hit. “We wanted to get them.”

The Torrance defense played an inspired second half, limiting South to 12 yards rushing and sacking Rosato five times. The Tartars (3-3-1, 1-0-1) finished with seven sacks.

BATTLE OF THE BAY

Santa Monica was hoping it would happen. Hawthorne would have been thrilled if it had happened.

But Peninsula refused to overlook Santa Monica, trouncing the visiting Vikings, 43-16, to set up a showdown for first place in the Bay League between the Panthers, ranked second in the South Bay, and top-ranked Hawthorne on Friday at Peninsula.

“We kept telling the kids in practice not to overlook this game,” Peninsula Coach Gary Kimbrell said after Friday’s victory. “We told them at the half to try and come out and get a good drive started and run the ball down their throat.”

The pep talk came after Peninsula had built a 37-0 halftime lead. The Panthers (7-0, 2-0) finished with 305 yards rushing, led by tailback James Durroh with 154 yards and three touchdowns in 19 carries.

Hawthorne (6-1, 1-0) tuned up for Peninsula with a 42-24 nonleague victory over visiting Beverly Hills. Tailback Eric Chaney rushed for 172 yards and three touchdowns, and quarterback Kenji Tatum passed for 184 yards and two TDs for the Cougars.

Hawthorne Coach Dan Robbins said he is concerned about Peninsula’s running game, which is averaging nearly 300 yards a game, and Durroh, the area’s leading rusher.

“To beat Peninsula, we have to stop Durroh,” Robbins said. “We have to stop their trap plays and stop their play-action passes.

“It’s that simple,” he said, chuckling.

Robbins is 2-0 against Peninsula. Hawthorne beat the Panthers by scores of 35-22 in 1992 and 25-16 in 1991.

THE SHOW MUST GO ON

Things appear to be returning to normal at Serra.

After several weeks of tumult, including the firing of Coach Kevin Crawley, interim coach Charles Nash has guided Serra to two victories in a row, evening the Cavaliers’ Camino Real League record at 2-2. They are 3-4 overall.

Friday’s 26-6 league victory over visiting Long Beach St. Anthony featured a consistent running game and big plays, two things missing from Serra’s attack early in the season. The game also featured a bizarre opening to the second half.

The second-half kickoff was delayed because of Serra’s homecoming festivities, which included the retiring of Deon Figures’ jersey. Figures, a former Serra standout, was an All-American defensive back at Colorado and now plays for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

In order for Serra to avoid a penalty, the second half began as the homecoming court was being introduced on a stage in front of the stands. Against a backdrop of tuxedos the formal gowns, Ademole Turner returned the kickoff 86 yards for a touchdown to give Serra a 13-6 lead.

“Crazy,” Nash said of the scene.

Turner’s return set the tone for the rest of the game. Serra running back Ricky Boyer rushed for 128 of his 137 yards in the second half, including a 55-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter.

“Everything is starting to pick up,” Nash said. “Our practices are getting much more intense and we’ve put in a few things offensively and defensively.”

FINDING HIS NICHE

Bishop Montgomery lineman Martin Thompson is listed in the program as an offensive tackle. But it is on defense where the 6-foot-4, 250-pound senior made an impact Friday night in the Knights’ 17-7 Mission League victory over visiting La Canada St. Francis.

Thompson pressured St. Francis quarterback Luke Barrett into hurrying a first-quarter pass that was intercepted by defensive back Mark Negrette and returned three yards for a touchdown. In addition, Thompson made numerous tackles and recovered a second-quarter fumble.

Thompson started the season on offense, but was switched to defense by Coach Matt Giacalone to better take advantage of his skills.

“On defense, I can be aggressive and use my hands,” Thompson said.

Giacalone praised Thompson for leading a resurgent defense that has helped Bishop Montgomery (3-4, 2-0) win its past three games and become a contender in the Mission League. The Knights are tied for first place with Sherman Oaks Notre Dame and St. Bernard.

“He’s been sparkling over there,” Giacalone said. “He doesn’t have a lot of technique, (so) he does it with brute force. He has made a lot of key plays the last three or four games.”

GOOD TIMES

Just when you think it can’t get any better for Mira Costa comes news that three key players will return from injuries this week.

Coach Don Morrow said running back-linebacker Ricky Saunders (back injury), wide receiver Matt Guerrero (ankle) and linebacker Ernie Betancourt (knee) all should see significant playing time Friday when the Mustangs visit Beverly Hills. The players have played sparingly because of their injuries.

Mira Costa defeated visiting Morningside, 30-0, Friday night in an Ocean League game. It was the third shutout for the Mustangs (7-0, 1-0), who have given up an average of less than four points a game and are off to their best start in at least 20 years.

JOYLESS VICTORY

In the estimation of North Torrance Coach Tony Uruburu, the only thing the Saxons should be happy about after their 13-12 Pioneer League victory over visiting El Segundo is the fact that they won.

“We were terrible,” Uruburu said. “We did everything we could to give that game away. We bent and we bent, and we only broke twice.”

Eman Peters intercepted his second pass of the game with less than a minute left to secure the victory for North (3-4, 2-0), but Uruburu said the defensive effort was lacking.

“At the end our defense stopped them, but we didn’t play well,” he said. “Peters made a real nice play there, but we didn’t tackle or hustle.”

Running back Lacy Watkins led the North offense, rushing for 80 yards and a touchdown.

“On Lacy’s 36-yard touchdown run, he broke three tackles,” Uruburu said. “It was just a case of a good football player making a good play, because our offensive line was pathetic otherwise.”

Do you get the feeling Uruburu is trying to fire up his team for Friday’s first-place meeting with West Torrance?

NOTEWORTHY

* The Banning defense did not give up a point for the third consecutive game in a 52-0 victory over Gardena. Linebacker Charlie Phillips led the Pilots with 11 tackles and defensive back Eric Whitfield had an interception to raise his area-leading total to six.

* Leuzinger, which had committed only three turnovers in its first six games, lost four fumbles in a 34-22 victory over Inglewood.

* South Bay Lutheran gave up a two-yard touchdown run on the last play of the game but stopped a two-point conversion try to salvage a 12-12 Heritage League tie with host Ribet Academy, which decided against kicking an extra point after one was blocked earlier in the eight-man game. The teams are tied for first place with 2-0-1 league records.

IN QUOTES

Bishop Montgomery special teams player Hector Bacallao, who clinched a 17-7 victory over St. Francis by returning a fumbled punt return 23 yards for a touchdown in the fourth quarter: “I saw the ball, saw the open grass, picked up the ball and ran like I’ve never run before.”

South Torrance co-coach Joe Austin after his team was penalized 11 times for 85 yards and had two touchdowns called back for holding in a 16-16 tie with Torrance: “Penalties stopped us, nothing else.”

South Bay Lutheran Coach Greg Rathke, whose team settled for a 12-12 tie after Ribet Academy scored a touchdown on the game’s final play: “It was a gut-wrencher for us. It pretty much sucked.”