HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL PLAYOFFS : Newbury Park’s Smith Targets Record

Quarterback Keith Smith and receiver Leodes Van Buren are expected to become the No. 1 passing combination in state history tonight when Newbury Park High plays host to Montebello in the Southern Section Division III quarterfinals starting at 7:30.

Smith also has a chance to become the nation’s No. 2 all-time passing leader behind Josh Booty, a senior in Shreveport, La., who holds the record with 10,970 yards entering his team’s playoff game tonight.

Smith, a senior, has thrown for 3,325 yards and 33 touchdowns this season to lead the Panthers to an 11-0 record. His three-year total of 9,052 yards is 281 shy of the state record set by Chad Davis, who had 9,332 from 1988-91 while playing at Palm Springs, Del Mar Torrey Pines and San Diego Mira Mesa.

Van Buren broke the state record for receiving yards (3,498), and is No. 2 in the state this season with 85 receptions to give him 253 in his career.

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Huntington Beach Edison (9-2) has won seven consecutive games since sophomore running back Michael Graham transferred from Mater Dei. Graham played well in two games at Mater Dei but did not think he was getting the ball enough, so he left school and enrolled at Edison.

In nine games this season, Graham has rushed for 1,417 yards and 18 touchdowns. He had 210 yards and four touchdowns in last week’s 40-20 victory over Canyon Country Canyon. After two of those touchdown runs, however, Graham was called for misconduct penalties.

The sophomore will have to control himself better tonight if the Chargers have a chance against top-seeded Los Alamitos in a Division II game at Orange Coast College. Los Alamitos (11-0) is unbeaten in its last 32 games.

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Steve Grady of Loyola spent his eighth consecutive Thanksgiving on the football field Thursday preparing his team for tonight’s Division I showdown against No. 2 Rialto Eisenhower at Glendale High.

Every season since 1985, Loyola has advanced to the quarterfinals, and the coaching staff spent part of the holiday going over last-minute details. Grady held practice from 9:30 a.m. to noon so the players could spend most of the day with their families.

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Few schools have been as dominant as La Puente Bishop Amat the last two seasons. During that time, the Lancers have gone 26-0 and won two league titles and the Division I championship.

During their undefeated streak, the Lancers have allowed an average of 7.3 points per game. They have also created 27 more turnovers than they have committed.

Bishop Amat (11-0), the state’s top-ranked team, is seeded No. 1 in the division.

The Lancers routed Lakewood, 37-6, last week and play tonight at Antelope Valley, the last team to defeat them in 1991.

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George Keiaho of Ventura Buena will finish his senior season as the second-leading rusher in state history behind David Dotson, who rushed for 7,257 yards from 1989-91 at Valley View of Moreno Valley.

Keiaho has 1,836 yards and 27 touchdowns, and is expected to play tonight at Ventura High against West Covina in the Division III playoffs after sitting out last week’s game with an injury.