THROWN FOR A LOSSFairfax played Jefferson and...

THROWN FOR A LOSS

Fairfax played Jefferson and Marshall in a three-way California tie-breaking game Monday at Los Angeles High to decide a wild-card berth for the City Section 4-A Division playoffs.

Fairfax and Jefferson met in the first game after the two teams lost a coin flip with Marshall. In the California tie-breaker, the ball is placed at the 50-yard line and each team is given eight plays to advance the ball, alternating possession on every play. The pivotal play came when Fairfax was called for offsides and quarterback Myron Terry was sacked. Jefferson declined the penalty and the Lions were unable to advance back across the 50.

Jefferson beat Marshall to qualify for Friday’s game against defending City 4-A champion Sylmar.

Fairfax Coach Terrel Ray, who is a member of the City Section Coaches Assn., was disappointed with the loss but did not criticize the format. His assistant, Craig Scott, was more vocal.

“I personally don’t like it,” Scott said. “Our season was decided by an offsides penalty and a sack. If we played a full game, the results would be a lot different.”

PAINFUL WIN

After winning the Camino Real League for the second consecutive year, St. Monica enters the Southern Section Division VIII playoffs with several players injured.

Center-defensive end Adrian Klemm, the son of Vice Principal Leo Klemm, broke his right ankle and will miss the playoffs. Left tackle Corey Nieto strained a ligament in his right knee and tailback Kenny Jackson has a bruised shoulder. Nieto and Jackson are questionable for Friday’s game against Laguna Hills.

On Friday, Jackson rushed for 165 yards and two touchdowns in a 26-10 victory over Cantwell-Sacred Heart.

“The kids look forward to this game and the potential matchup next week against Yucaipa,” St. Monica Coach Norm Lacy said. “We’re a little bit banged up but we’re looking forward to playing well in playoffs and meeting Yucaipa again.”

Last season, Yucaipa beat St. Monica, 56-13, in the first round of playoffs.

LINEUP SHUFFLE

Hamilton’s roster continues to dwindle in numbers. Five players were declared academically ineligible before Friday’s 18-14 victory over University. Three of the players--defensive back Nikia Smith, receiver Quinn Washington and offensive tackle Marcus Nance--are starters.

Four other starters are injured: linebacker Jason Brownlee (fractured left ankle), receiver Chauncy Chitty (stress ligament in right knee) and Jarahn Hillsman (right knee).

The injuries will force Hamilton to use more two-way players. Junior tackle Lance Robinson will replace Nance as an offensive tackle, Gary Martinez will be a middle linebacker, and sophomore tight end Mark Polk will be a defensive back and split end. Sophomore Donovan Matthews will double as a strong tackle and nose guard.

Yankee Coach John Ausbon is optimistic about his team’s chances against Washington in a City 3-A Division game at 7 p.m. Friday at South Gate High.

“They are fast but their offense struggles at times,” Ausbon said. “It depends on which Washington team shows up. We should have an excellent chance to win.”

CONTRASTING STYLES

St. Bernard running backs Carlos Meeks and Tyrine Bell have combined to rush for more than 1,700 yards. The Vikings have passed for less than 400.

On Friday, the Vikings play Riverside Poly in the first round of the Division IV playoffs. It will be an interesting contrast because Riverside Poly has an outstanding passing attack. They also have an offensive line that averages 265 pounds.

Said St. Bernard Coach Mike Noonan: “We have the speed, they have the size. We have excellent tailbacks, they have an outstanding quarterback. It will be an interesting game.”

SECOND SEASON

Brentwood, the defending Southern Section Eight-Man Large Schools Division champion and the top-seeded team in the playoffs, plays host to Hesperia Christian at 1 p.m. on Saturday.

In the first round, the undefeated Eagles had a bye. Hesperia Christian defeated Webb, 20-13. Last month, Brentwood (8-0) beat Webb, 45-7.

Eagle Coach Pat Brown, however, doesn’t want to draw any conclusions based on games with against common opponents.

“I don’t think you can look at the scores,” he said. “Hesperia kept putting the ball on the ground, fumbling three times in the first quarter alone. That’s the main reason Webb was even in the game.”

The last team to defeat Brentwood, which has a 20-game winning streak, was Hesperia Christian. They beat the Eagles, 20-16, in the first round of playoffs in 1991.

“They’re as solid and talented as always,” Brown said. “They use a lot of play action and crossing patterns with their receivers.”

Brown and several players made the drive to Hesperia to scout the game.

“After watching it, our guys know they’ll have to play a good brand of football to beat them,” he said.

In Brentwood’s 24-16 win over Masada in the regular-season finale, Brian Messing rushed for 118 yards and scored three touchdowns.

A GAME TO FORGET

Everything seemed to go wrong in the second quarter for Murphy in last week’s game against St. Genevieve for the Santa Fe League championship.

The nightmare included a dropped touchdown pass in the end zone, a missed 25-yard field goal attempt and the loss of leading receiver Gibbons St. Paul because of a strained hip and running back Brent Snowden because of a shoulder injury.

“I really didn’t think about all of it at the time, since I thought we were still going to win the game,” Coach Greg Dixon said. “It’s that last drive that was the killer.”

After a 13-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Danny Ragsdale to Howard Henry, Murphy had a 27-21 lead with less than seven minutes remaining. St. Genevieve then drove 77 yards in 5 minutes and 3 seconds and scored on a six-yard run by Ricky Estrada. The extra point gave St. Genevieve a 28-27 victory.

“Two things that had been hurting us all along really caught up on us,” Dixon said. “Injuries and poor run defense.”

As league runner-up, Murphy (5-4-1) must travel to Palm Springs High on Friday to play Cathedral City (7-3) in the first round of the Division X playoffs. St. John and Snowden are expected to play, according to Dixon.

OCEAN OF HAPPINESS

Culver City won its third Ocean League championship and quarterback Damon Williams is getting much of the credit.

“Before the season started, I was telling everyone we might have the best quarterback in the area,” Coach Robert Moore said of the 6-foot-3, 185-pound junior. “Once he got the confidence, he came through.”

Williams completed 82 passes in 172 attempts for 1,703 yards and 13 touchdowns and has rushed for 88 yards in 27 carries for three touchdowns.

“He’s a typical drop-back passer who’s also a run threat,” assistant Anthony Thomas said. “There’s no place on the field where he can’t throw. On the run, you can’t tackle him up high since he’s so strong.”

Moore also credited the leadership of seniors Chris Ellison, Justin Barton, Jeff Hiserodt, Mike Robertson, Josh Phillips and Paul Phillips.

“They really stepped up by setting an example,” Moore said. “And I love them for it.”

Ellison missed Friday’s 36-21 victory over Beverly Hills because of a deep thigh bruise, but is expected to play Friday when the Centaurs play host to Azusa in a Division VII playoff game.

LONG WAIT

Venice’s 4-A Division playoff game against Van Nuys will the first meeting between the schools in more than 10 years. Venice co-coach Tony Chretin says Friday’s game is a tossup.

Van Nuys junior running back Larry Reed suffered a neck injury in last week’s 35-6 victory over Monroe, but is expected to play. The Wolves have averaged nearly 300 yards in offense behind the blocking of All-City lineman Miguel Romo, a 6-foot-3, 230-pound senior.

“They like to shift a lot to confuse defenses,” Chretin said. “This will be a tough game.”

BITTERSWEET WIN

University, which was 0-10 in 1992, won the Metro League championship despite losing its last two games.

“We wished we could have won it by winning in the end,” University Coach Marshall Jones said after last week’s 18-14 loss to Hamilton. “It was disappointing to play well and then flatten out, which is what happened.”

The Warriors (4-6) will play North Hollywood (4-6) at Palisades High at 4:45 p.m. Friday.

MARKED IMPROVEMENT

Santa Monica, which was 0-10 in 1992, finished 4-6. The Vikings beat Morningside, 27-22, Friday to end the season.

Santa Monica’s playoff hopes were dashed earlier by three consecutive losses in the Bay League.

“Not making the playoffs with our last league game was a big downer for us, but we had a good last effort,” Coach Danny Escalera said. “Coming away with a win was exhilarating.”

Escalera was pleased with the play of his underclassmen, including Greg Moreno and Orlando Valdez.

“I think we’ll be on solid footing now,” Escalera said. “We paid our dues and it’s time to step forward.”

COMMUNITY COLLEGES

West L.A. and Santa Monica finish the season on the road in Western State Southern Division games Saturday.

West L.A. (3-5-1, 1-2-1) will meet Bakersfield (9-0, 4-0) and Santa Monica (2-6-1, 0-3-1) will play Southwest (3-5-1, 2-2).

West L.A. Coach Rob Hager and Santa Monica Coach Owen Hahn, however, don’t figure to have much leisure time in the off-season. Hager also serves as an assistant coach for the Oiler men’s basketball team and Hahn is an assistant golf coach at West L.A.