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

CLASSIC MATCH-UP

Minutes after Hawthorne beat visiting Ventura Buena, 44-20, Friday night to secure a repeat trip to the Southern Section Division III championship game, senior Omarr Morgan was asked who he would rather play in the final.

A rematch with 1992 runner-up Bell Gardens?

Or a shot at top-seeded Newbury Park?

“Newbury Park and the great quarterback,” Morgan said.

Ready or not, he got his wish. Newbury Park (13-0), led by the incomparable passing duo of quarterback Keith Smith and wide receiver Leodes Van Buren, defeated Bell Gardens, 43-26, to set up a title showdown against second-seeded and defending champion Hawthorne (12-1).

Hawthorne Coach Dan Robbins said the game will be played Saturday night at either El Camino College or Moorpark College, with the home team determined today by coin flip.

Morgan, the Cougars’ free safety, said playing Newbury Park gives Hawthorne a chance to prove it has the best defense in the division. The Cougars did a good job against George Keiaho, Buena’s highly regarded running back, limiting him to 104 yards in 26 carries.

“We’ve shut down so many great players--(Peninsula tailback James) Durroh, (Leuzinger quarterback Jason) Simmons, Keiaho,” Morgan said. “We want to see Smith and Van Buren. I can’t wait. We want ‘em.”

Smith, a good scrambler, has passed for 4,016 yards and 38 touchdowns and is the state’s all-time passing leader with 9,743 yards. Van Buren has 96 catches for 1,597 yards and 19 TDs and is the state’s all-time leader with 264 catches and 4,385 yards.

Buena Coach Rick Scott, whose team lost to Newbury Park, 43-28, in a nonleague game, said it should be an interesting final.

“(Hawthorne has) the speed that Newbury hasn’t seen all year,” Scott said. “If we couldn’t run on them, Newbury isn’t going to be able to run on them.

“I don’t know if (Hawthorne) can catch Smith, but they’re going to give their receivers a fit. It’s going to be a hell of a match-up.”

Newbury Park will provide the ultimate test for Hawthorne’s talented secondary, led by Morgan and cornerbacks Kelvin Hunter and Justin Stallings. Hunter leads the team with seven interceptions, and Morgan got his sixth interception Friday.

“I think we have better (defensive backs) than anybody in Southern California,” Robbins said. “I would love to prove it against (Smith). He’s great.”

EBB AND FLOW

The Hawthorne-Buena game was characterized by radical shifts in momentum.

After Hawthorne built a 22-0 lead late in the second quarter, Buena (9-4) drove 70 yards with the help of a fourth-down penalty to score a touchdown with 21 seconds left in the half. Buena opened the third quarter with a 70-yard scoring drive, then recovered an onside kick, leading to another TD after a 43-yard drive.

Suddenly, Hawthorne’s lead had shrunk to 22-20 in a span of 4 minutes 41 seconds.

The Cougars dejectedly walked off the field after Buena’s third touchdown, but running back Eric Chaney was confident the offense could regain control.

“We knew we could drive on them,” Chaney said. “We were just waiting for our defense to get their heads back into it. We weren’t too scared.”

Hawthorne responded by driving 60, 64 and 65 yards to score touchdowns on its next three possessions, including TD runs of three and 11 yards by Chaney in the fourth quarter. The Cougars rushed for 322 of their 438 total yards, led by fullback Kalisi Moala with 133 yards and two TDs in 11 carries. Chaney rushed for 121 yards in 15 carries.

“We couldn’t stop them,” said Scott, the Buena coach. “There at the end, they did to us what we’ve been doing to a lot of teams. They wore us out defensively, and we just got tired and couldn’t hang on.”

BIG FOOT

The Hawthorne offensive line came through with another impressive blocking effort, despite the absence of 6-foot-7, 300-pound tackle David Camacho for much of the game.

Camacho sprained his ankle in the first quarter, an injury that has plagued the senior for some time, according to Robbins.

“He’s OK,” Robbins said. “(The injury first) happened two years ago. He’ll get it dinged up occasionally. He has size 18 feet. That’s a lot of ankle to injure. He’s got his foot in the backfield, and on the line as well.”

TUNNEL VISION

Midway through the season, a short note appeared under the game-program picture of the San Pedro coaching staff, perhaps explaining their focus: “Ask us after the year is over.”

Pirate fans can begin preparing their questions.

San Pedro’s 17-0 victory over Reseda at Daniels Field means that for the second year in a row, the Pirates’ season will end in the City Section 3-A Division championship game. San Pedro won its first section title last year, beating Taft in the 3-A final.

The Pirates (12-1) must prepare for Fremont (11-2), a 28-21 semifinal winner over Washington. San Pedro Athletic Director Bob Schatz said he was “95% sure” the title game will be played Friday night at Gardena High.

“I was beginning to wonder if we could go all the way again after the first few weeks, but it looks like we can,” Pirate Coach Mike Walsh said.

A defense that had seven new starters can be thanked for the trip to the final. San Pedro has not given up a point in three playoff games. Standouts against Reseda included linebackers Chris Asuega and Vincent LoGrande, lineman Phillip McIlvain and strong safety Willie Birl, the Southern League defensive player of the year.

“They’re just doing the job,” Walsh said of his defense. “We’ve done a lot of preparation and it’s showing.”

MR. VERSATILITY

Bryan Castaneda has done it all for San Pedro this season. Against Reseda, the 5-foot-6, 145-pound senior caught nine passes for 135 yards, returned a kickoff 23 yards, intercepted a pass with one hand, and had a 75-yard punt return for a touchdown called back because he was ruled to have called for a fair catch.

“I thought I was going to fair catch, but I saw I could return it, so I did,” Castaneda said. “I wasn’t trying to fool anybody.”

Castaneda didn’t need any unfair advantages. He spent most of the game running past Reseda players.

“Bryan Castaneda is the best player who’s ever played at San Pedro High School,” Walsh said. That’s quite a statement, considering the Pirates have had their share of outstanding players since the school’s first football team in 1908.

Castaneda was skeptical of his coach’s assessment.

“I don’t know about that,” he said. “I haven’t seen that many of them play.”

GETTING HIS KICKS

San Pedro plays intense, aggressive football. On defense, the Pirates swarm to the ball and rejoice at each opponent’s loss. The offensive linemen shout at each other to encourage better blocking. On rare occasions, they go too far. Offensive tackle Vito Sancirardi was ejected for a late hit Friday.

Then there’s kicker Mike DiMassa, who usually stands at the end of the bench and calmly watches the game, away from the sideline frenzy.

The routine must work. DiMassa has made six of seven field goals, including a 29-yarder against Reseda that gave San Pedro a 10-0 lead in the second quarter.

“I’m trying to stay calm,” DiMassa said. “When you’re a kicker, you have to be like that. But I’m going wild inside.”

The football coaches are going wild watching DiMassa play for the Pirate soccer team, fearing he might get hurt.

“I’m trying not to worry about it,” said DiMassa, who had a goal and three assists Wednesday in a 6-1 season-opening victory over University.

LATE KNOCKOUT

Carson wingback Joseph Redmond likened Friday night’s 4-A Division semifinal game against Sylmar to a heavyweight fight.

“It was like (Evander) Holyfield and (Riddick) Bowe,” Redmond said. “It was repeat or revenge, and the team that kept pounding the most won the fight.”

With help from Redmond, Carson delivered a late knockout to defeat host Sylmar, 22-21, and avenge a 17-0 loss to the Spartans in the 1992 4-A final. Redmond’s diving, 36-yard reception from quarterback Ramon Rogers set up a two-yard scoring run by Robert Johnson and a two-point conversion run by Steve Faupusa, the Colts’ other quarterback, with 1:11 left to play.

Carson (9-4) will again be out for revenge when it meets Dorsey (10-3) in the championship game, tentatively scheduled for Saturday at El Camino College. Dorsey beat the Colts, 18-13, in a Pacific League game Oct. 21.

Sylmar (10-2-1) had taken a 21-14 lead over Carson on a trick play with 2:42 left. At his own 31, Sylmar quarterback Eddie Lopez threw an intentional lateral pass that bounced at the feet of flanker Victor Cardenas, who picked up the ball and completed a 69-yard scoring pass to Dwight Patton.

Redmond, like many of his teammates, was surprised by the play, which momentarily deflated the Colts.

“We were really up at the time, and then that just knocked us back down,” Redmond said. “I’ve never seen a play like that before.”

But the junior said he never lost faith.

“We had great play calling, and Ramon Rogers is a great quarterback,” Redmond said. “He takes time to find his receivers and he doesn’t get rattled.”

DOUBLE TROUBLE

In recent games, Carson Coach David Williams has shown that he believes two quarterbacks are better than one.

Faupusa, a senior, started Friday’s game, but was benched in the second quarter after he lost two fumbles. He returned for part of the second half and scored the winning two-point conversion. Rogers, a junior, helped the Colts rally from a 14-0 deficit by passing for 125 yards and one touchdown, a 33-yarder to receiver Nakia Wheeler that tied the score, 14-14, late in the second quarter.

Williams said he never lost confidence in either of his quarterbacks, although he alternated them throughout the game.

“(Faupusa) was rattled a little at times, but he came through for us when we needed him to,” Williams said. “He had a lapse in confidence, but I didn’t lack any confidence in him.

“Rogers knows that we have full confidence in his ability. But he has another year left and he knows the team concept that we use here.”

Faupusa, who transferred to Carson this year, said it was a thrill to score the winning points in such a big game.

“I didn’t play for Carson last year, so this is very special to me,” he said. “I’m just happy for my teammates. They were counting on me to do that and I wanted it with all my heart.”

JOURNEY ENDS

Masada’s improbable journey through the Eight-Man Small Division playoffs ended Friday in Bloomington, as top-seeded Bloomington Christian won the championship game, 48-22.

But Masada (7-6) didn’t embarrass itself. The Fighting Knights opened a 14-0 lead before Bloomington Christian (12-1) used its superior running attack to tie the score at halftime and take control in the second half.

“People will have to watch out for Masada now,” Masada Coach Eddie Collins said. “We got our name out there, and we’re learning and getting better.”

NOTEWORTHY

* San Pedro (12-1) has won eight games in a row since losing to Banning, 17-0, on Oct. 8. The Pirates have given up only 20 points, less than three a game, and have five shutouts during the streak.

* Carson is returning to a City Section final for the 14th time in 16 years, and the 18th time in the school’s 31-year history. The Colts have won eight titles, the last one coming in 1990, their final season under Gene Vollnogle.

* Neither Carson nor Sylmar scored in the third quarter of Friday’s game, meaning that the Colts haven’t given up a point in the third quarter of 13 games.

IN QUOTES

Carson Coach David Williams on reaching the City 4-A final in his first year as varsity coach: “I’m excited for (the players). I’ve been a sophomore coach for years here, and my dearest wish is to win a championship for them. Now we have that opportunity.”

Hawthorne free safety Omarr Morgan after the Cougars beat Buena to reach the Division III final for the second year in a row: “I feel great, just like flying to the moon.”

Buena Coach Rick Scott, expressing the feeling of all coaches whose seasons have ended: “We’ve still got one big one left in us. Too bad we’re gonna have to use it at the banquet.”